Adams leaves RIQI

By Elizabeth Graham

April 2, 2019 6:06 pm

PROVIDENCE – Laura Adams, founder and CEO of Rhode Island Quality Institute, left the organization this week.

After spending about two months transitioning out, Adams’ last day at the helm of RIQI was Monday, RIQI’s Senior Director of Strategy and Growth Scott Young confirmed.

Dr. Neil Sarkar has been appointed interim CEO.

Adams, who founded RIQI in 2001, is moving on to other endeavors, Young said. Adams’ LinkedIn profile says that she is currently working as a catalyst at X4 Health Inc., which describes itself as a “woman-owned small business dedicated to accelerating better health, better care, lower costs and better experiences for patients, families and health professionals.”

In a telephone interview Tuesday Adams said that “it was such a difficult goodbye.”

Working at RIQI was “almost like a career Camelot but I had other thoughts. … And after 17 years, I think that there are so many things to learn,” Adams added.

RIQI operates a statewide health information exchange for patients and doctors, and promotes innovation and collaboration in health care.

The group won numerous awards and recognitions during Adams’ tenure, including being named Most Innovative Company in Health Care in 2014 by Providence Business News.

In 2013, RIQI won the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare’s excellence award, which recognized RIQI as the first statewide health information exchange to integrate clinical records containing protected substance abuse and alcohol treatment information.

In 2010, RIQI also won $27 million in federal capital ARRA health information technology grants.

Elizabeth Graham is a PBN staff writer. Email her at graham@PBN.com.