James Merlino is Executive VP and Chief Innovation Officer, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Previously, Dr. Merlino was the President and Chief Transformation Officer at Press Ganey in Cleveland. In this role, he led the development of an integrated organizational strategy to broaden the definition of patient experience to include safe, high quality, patient-centered care on a foundation of an aligned and engaged healthcare culture. 

Dr. Merlino holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Baldwin-Wallace College and a medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He completed his general surgery training at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and his colorectal surgery fellowship at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Merlino is frequently invited to speak on strategies to redefine care around the needs of the patient. In 2013, he was named to HealthLeaders Magazine’s list of “20 people who make healthcare better” and has consistently been on Becker’s Hospital Review’s list of top 50 experts in healthcare safety. He has been widely published in academic papers and is the author and co-editor of books on the patient experience and patient and workforce safety.