NCCHC Welcomes New Vice President of Accreditation

Amy Panagopoulos, MBA, BSN, RN, has joined the National Commission on Correctional Health Care as vice president of accreditation. She brings to the role more than 20 years of progressive health care leadership and clinical experience, including 15-plus years in health care quality, safety, and accreditation.

Ms. Panagopoulos spent more than a decade with The Joint Commission, the nation’s largest health care standards-setting and accrediting body. There she held a series of increasingly responsible positions in the division of health care quality evaluation. In her ultimate role as senior director of quality, evaluation, and strategy, she was responsible for enterprise research and development activities including the development of standards, national patient safety goals, survey methods, and core measures, transforming the division into a high-performance business unit.

“Amy’s broad clinical background and focus on quality health care is exactly what NCCHC needs at this time,” said Deborah Ross, CCHP, chief executive officer. “Her expansive knowledge of standards and accreditation will take our flagship program to new heights.”

Accreditation of health services in correctional facilities has been central to NCCHC’s mission of improving the quality of health care in the country’s jails, prisons, and juvenile facilities for more than 40 years. Based on NCCHC’s rigorous Standards for Health Services, the accreditation process involves external peer review by correctional health experts to determine whether those standards are being met in the facility. NCCHC also offers accreditation for mental health services and opioid treatment programs in correctional facilities and is the only accrediting body authorized by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration that focuses on corrections.

“I look forward to continuing to develop NCCHC’s high-performing survey teams, improved technology and operations, and excellent customer service,” said Ms.Panagopoulos.

Before joining The Joint Commission, Ms. Panagopoulos served as director of acute care services for the Illinois Foundation for Quality Health Care and held a variety of clinical nursing positions in intensive care, home health, and quality improvement. Most recently, she was CEO of a large Chicago-area outpatient surgery center, where she managed a staff of 70 and revenues over $30 million annually. She earned a Master of Business Administration from the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Purdue University.