Michelle Edwards was placed as the senior vice president and chief experience officer for Providence in Renton, Washington, one of the nation’s largest healthcare providers. Reporting over $23 billion in revenue and serving over 13 million patients, the system encompasses 51 hospitals, 829 clinics, and 16 supportive housing facilities; 119,000 caregivers, 25,000 physicians, and 38,000 nurses; two health plans and 2.1 million covered lives; $1.6 billion in community benefit; and 90 non-acute services – all spread across seven states in a diverse family of Catholic, other faith-based, and secular organizations. In her role, Michelle will be responsible for leading strategy and innovation to ensure a seamless, “21st century,” differentiated consumer/patient experience, with a focus on the critical enablers of access and navigation. As Providence puts patients and communities at the center of its services, she will facilitate and drive an enhanced experience and value for patients, while simultaneously simplifying care by the clinical workforce.
Michelle comes to Providence from CommonSpirit Health, the largest Catholic health system in the U.S., where she served as system senior vice president for advanced practice. In this brand new, first-in-the-nation role, she brought significant value to elevating advanced practice oversight to the executive level, developing and implementing organizational strategies and modernizing care delivery models to optimize the integration of advanced practice providers. Michelle successfully grew the number of employed APPs from 900 to 2,500, and established the health system’s reputation as the industry leader in advanced practice care. She also created the first national Advanced Practice Leadership Council as both a resource and incubator for innovation, and developed an internal, enterprise-wide APP State Regulations Resource Center that allowed her to identify root causes and develop national guidelines to standardize operational practices. In addition, Michelle co-led the primary care strategy and care model design for the organization, developing the conceptual model for team-based care and top-of-license practice, and led the health system’s virtual health strategy in the post-acute space across the enterprise.
Previously, Michelle served as the founder and managing director of PICC Health Institute, LLC, an innovative, nurse practitioner-led, team-based model of primary care delivery with an emphasis on high quality, cost-effectiveness, and excellent consumer outcomes. She also served as a market manager of clinical operations for Walgreens, helping to launch the company’s Take Care clinics in the Houston market. Over the course of her career, Michelle has held the roles of family nurse practitioner, consultant, and faculty member. She began her career as a bedside nurse in critical care and cardiac services at DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Michelle is originally from Tuscaloosa and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from the University of Alabama system. She is also certified as an acute care nurse practitioner through University of Texas Health Science Center, where she subsequently earned her Doctorate of Nursing Practice. Michelle is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
Outside of work, Michelle most enjoys spending time with her children and extended family. She is also an avid reader, enjoys the theater, the arts, and Latin dancing, and is learning to play the acoustic guitar.
Quick Leonard Kieffer’s Steve Derks and Joe Johnston led the search that resulted in the recruitment of Michelle to Providence.
