Improving Patient Length of Stay (LOS) with Dr. Erik Summers

Dr. Summers is the Chief Medical Officer of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston Salem, NC. In October 2020, Wake Forest Baptist Health formalized a strategic partnership with Charlotte-based Atrium Health to become one of the largest academic health systems in the U.S.

Dr. Summers joined Wake Forest Baptist Health in July of 2010 as a Hospitalist in the Section of General Medicine. By 2012, he was named the first Chief in the Section on Hospital Medicine. In 2014, he was appointed Associate Chief Medical Officer, and in 2018 was promoted to Chief Medical Officer at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. As CMO, he holds responsibilities including leadership over the Medical Staff, Advanced Practice Providers, Care Coordination, and the Clinical Documentation Excellence Team.

Dr. Summers career has been defined by the ability to implement new processes quickly and efficiently to improve patient care. He has succeeded in three major academic medical centers making change (East Carolina Health, Mayo Clinic, Atrium Health Wake Forest).

He brings disciplined leadership to bear on complex issues where clinical expertise, strategic thinking, and organizational savvy are essential. As a leader, he uses experience and insight to provide structure, order, and clarity to help make rapid and lasting progress on critical issues.

His work at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Health has changed the organization over the last twelve years. Among the many projects, he has implemented at Wake Forest include the following: The Section of Hospital Medicine, The Patient Flow Operations Center, The Inpatient Diabetes Management Service, The Orthopedic/Hospitalist Co-management Service, Bed Geography for all Inpatient services, the Discharge Lounge, the Discharge holding unit, a new ED triage process to maximize throughput, and a transfer process between network hospitals to maximize bed space.

One of Dr. Summers areas of interest is patient flow. His efforts in this area, along with his leadership in Care Coordination and the Physician Advisor Program, have led to one of the lower LOS indexes in the country for academic medical centers.

Dr. Summers earned his Bachelor’s degree at the University of Virginia and his Medical Degree at the University of Alabama School of Medicine. He is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Active in professional organizations, Dr. Summers currently serves on the AAMC CMOG Steering Committee. He was also named by Becker’s Hospital Review in 2022 as one of the 89 Chief Medical Officers of Hospitals and Health Systems to know.

• Link to claim CME credit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3DXCFW3
• CME credit is available for up to 3 years after the stated release date

Contact CEOD@bmhcc.org if you have any questions about claiming credit.