Early in his career, Pediatrician Lon McQuillan, MD, was inspired to learn about quality improvement in health care. So, it was a natural fit when he accepted the role of Samaritan’s medical director of Quality and Patient Safety.
After practicing as a primary care provider for a short time at Mid-Valley Children’s Clinic in Albany, he continued his education with a primary care research fellowship at the University of Colorado Denver and Children’s Hospital Colorado, where he augmented his medical degree with a master’s degree in public health.
“I considered subspecialty options but ultimately decided I wanted to pursue a primary care fellowship so I could still do primary care pediatrics as well as other things I was interested in, like the science and improvement part of medicine,” said Dr. McQuillan.
With his quality and safety work, Dr. McQuillan hopes to inspire and enable clinicians across Samaritan to join in a culture and process of continual improvement.
“I believe all clinicians can take part in continual improvement for themselves, their teams and, most importantly, for patients,” he said. “We’d like to find ways to support clinicians in doing this work.”
His quality improvement work includes the formation of two committees focused on safety in outpatient settings and the electronic health record.
Dr. McQuillan is also preoccupied with safety away from the office, but for different reasons. Along with his wife Alexis and two teen sons, he enjoys mountain biking – including big jumps – and downhill snow skiing. They make sure the whole family wears safety gear.
“We had a safety moment this summer when my youngest son broke his clavicle,” said Dr. McQuillan. “His helmet saved him.”
With 18-year-old Sean moving out and starting classes at Oregon State University this year, and 16-year-old Cormac in his junior year of high school, Dr. McQuillan and his wife are starting to consider their near future as “empty nesters.”
“Our boys are so important to us,” said Dr. McQuillan. “It’s been emotional this summer with Sean leaving this fall.”
The couple plans to continue mountain biking and skiing, even without the boys.
“Those are by far our biggest hobbies,” said Dr. McQuillan. “There’s tons of room for growth in both of those sports for us.”
They also go to the gym together every day. “Lex and I are both very committed to health and wellness,” Dr. McQuillan said. “We encourage each other and hold each other accountable.”
The kind of commitment Dr. McQuillan has for his family and his health also shows in his work. He has held numerous leadership positions since he joined Samaritan in 2004, including medical director for the Pediatric Hospitalist program from 2010 to 2012, resident research director from 2013 to 2017, medical director of Primary Care from 2013 to 2016 and now as medical director of Quality and Patient Safety.
He’s also very dedicated to his patients and clinic, Samaritan Pediatrics in Corvallis.
“Staff really enjoy working with him,” said Laura Ball, clinic manager. “He bends over backwards for patients, peers and staff to accommodate what they need.”
He has even been known to add days to his clinic schedule to get patients in when needed.
“His patients are life-longers,” said Ball.
For his part, Dr. McQuillan is also very attached to his patients and their care.
“I don’t think I could ever not practice,” he said. “I love the interaction with patients so much.”
Looking for a new job? From housekeeping to nursing and accounting to managing, there are a lot of opportunities to explore at Samaritan Health Services.
