HONOLULU – The Queen’s Health Systems (QHS) has announced the following appointments.
Roy Esaki, MD, MS, FASA, has been named Chief Health Informatics Officer (CHIO) at QHS.
In his role, Esaki oversees the growing clinical informatics team, and works closely with executive leadership to leverage the electronic medical record (EMR) and other emerging health IT technologies to improve bedside care as well as achieve system strategic goals.
Esaki served the past two years as Interim Chief Medical Information Officer. Together with the informatics team, he has guided the implementation of numerous system initiatives, including improving system alignment and interdisciplinary governance relating to QHS’ CARE*Link build, and launching “open notes” to improve patients’ self-access to medical records. As CHIO, he will also oversee a broad span of clinical technology strategies beyond the EMR, including patient-facing and digital communication technologies. He will continue clinical practice in the operating room as an anesthesiologist, and continues to serve as Assistant Chief of the Department of Anesthesiology.
Esaki obtained a mechanical engineering degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his medical degree and Master’s in Clinical Research at the University of Michigan. He completed an anesthesiology residency and pain medicine fellowship as Chief Fellow at Stanford University. He is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Hawai‘i John A. Burns School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, and serves on the Hawaiʻi Health Information Exchange Board of Directors and as Vice President of the Hawaiʻi Society of Anesthesiologists.
Ashley Shearer, LCSW, has been promoted to Director of Care Coordination, Utilization Management (UM), and Clinical Documentation Integrity (CDI) at The Queen’s Medical Center (QMC).
Shearer is responsible for providing leadership and implementing strategies to achieve optimal delivery of services and patient care. She plays a vital role in maintaining effective partnerships with community institutions, agencies, organizations and providers, as well as managing health care costs for the organization.
Shearer has been with QMC for nine years, starting as a Licensed Social Worker supporting the Emergency Department. She later served as Clinical Operations Manager for the Queen’s Care Coalition. Her hard work and direct involvement over the years has led the Queen’s Care Coalition to become a nationally-recognized program that addresses complex medical and social needs of Native Hawaiians and high utilizers post-discharge.
Scott Wotring has been promoted to Director of Food and Nutrition Services, Environmental Services, and Central Transport Services (CTS) at QHS.
Wotring has been with QHS for three years, and has more than 20 years of experience in health care under his belt. He previously served as District Manager for Sodexo at two hospital systems in British Columbia – Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, he has played a key role on the QHS COVID Committee representing housekeeping, patient transport, and food services.