According to Brian Ward on HCPRO, a Joint Commission spokesman stated, “During his tenure he has served as an advocate for healthcare organizations as they strive to improve the quality and safety of their physical environments.”
AAMI:
After nearly 13 years as the director of engineering at The Joint Commission (TJC), George Mills, a familiar and widely respected figure in the healthcare technology management (HTM) community, will be leaving the accreditation organization on Oct. 6 to join JLL, a leading professional services firm.
“I fought some good fights, wrote some good papers, did some good presentations, and was privileged to work with the industry’s leaders,” Mills said. “I feel satisfied with a lot of the things I’ve accomplished, and I feel like it’s the right time for me to make a career change.”
Mills said his move to JLL will build on the expertise he has developed in healthcare.
“By joining JLL, I will be able to operationalize my teachings and demonstrate to healthcare organizations how to transform from a reactive approach to a proactive solution that benefits patients,” Mills said. “I believe together we can make a difference and show the industry that change is possible.”
As director of healthcare technical operations, Mills will oversee teams focused on quality and compliance, plant operations and facility management, safety, supply chain management, healthcare project and development services, and energy and sustainability.
“This is an exciting opportunity to get out and work hands-on with the field,” Mills said. “JLL is a solid company with a lot of resources behind them, and being in charge of operations, it’s up to me to figure out how to best orchestrate them. They have a lot of the pieces, and they’ve asked me to help bring the program to the next level.”
Throughout his 32-year career in the healthcare industry, Mills has worked to make patient environments safer and healthier. His presentations at the AAMI Annual Conference & Expo have routinely drawn standing-room-only crowds, and his “Ask George” column in AAMI’s journal BI&T was a popular feature.
Mills said his greatest success at TJC was in 2012 when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services allowed HTM departments to utilize alternative equipment maintenance programs, with some exceptions.
Mills said he’s ready to “strap on the work belt and get back into it.” He said his new job would allow him to put into practice much of what he has preached.
“I’ve been teaching the intent of The Joint Commission standards for 12 years, and by managing facilities and HTM contracts and staff, I get a chance to put the tires on the car and drive it down the street,” he said. “This is an opportunity to really show the industry that we can be compliant with the expectations of The Joint Commission, and when we are, patient safety and the patient care environment improve.”
Mills will continue to serve as a member of AAMI’s Board of Directors.
HCPro:
wo weeks after The Joint Commission confirmed that its engineering department director would be leaving the organization, a Chicago-based professional services firm proudly announced him as a new hire.
George Mills, MBA, FASHE, CEM, CHFM, CHSP, who worked 14 years for the accrediting organization, will transition next month into his new job as director of healthcare technical operations with JLL, the company said Wednesday in a statement.
“George’s vision and passion for the improvement of hospital operations will benefit the hospital systems we serve across the country,” said Peter Bulgarelli, executive managing director of JLL’s Healthcare group, in the statement. “In his new role with JLL, George’s direct work with healthcare organizations on regulatory and compliance matters through JLL solutions and technology will take our platform to the next level for our clients.”
Mills, who will take the lead on JLL’s healthcare technical operations platform, will manage teams focused on a number of areas, including not only compliance matters and facility management but supply chains, sustainability initiatives, and more, the company noted.
Mills said in the statement that his transition will enable him to put his teachings into practice and show healthcare organizations how to implement solutions proactively. “I believe together we can make a difference and show the industry that change is possible,” he said.
JLL Healthcare says it offers solutions related to facilities and real estate in order to push healthcare organizations forward both clinically and financially. The company says its clients include 540 hospitals.
The brand name JLL is a trademark registered to Jones Lang LaSalle Inc.
A spokesperson for The Joint Commission said August 24 that Mills would be leaving his current post effective October 9. John D. Maurer, SASHE, CHFM, CHSP, will take over as acting director on an interim basis.
24x7
Effective October 9, George Mills, MBA, FASHE, CEM, CHFM, CHSP, will leave The Joint Commission (TJC) as director of engineering. Mills has been with TJC for 14 years and has served in his current role for the past six years.
TJC’s spokeswoman Elizabeth Eaken Zhani spoke out about Mills’ departure, telling 24×7 Magazine: “During his tenure, [Mills] has served as an advocate for healthcare organizations as they strive to improve the quality and safety of their physical environments.”
In a notice posted by AAMI, Mills stated that he will be leaving TJC for JLL, a professional services firm. “By joining JLL, I will be able to operationalize my teachings and demonstrate to healthcare organizations how to transform from a reactive approach to a proactive solution that benefits patients,” Mills told AAMI officials. “I believe together we can make a difference and show the industry that change is possible.”
John D. Maurer, SASHE, CHFM, CHSP, engineer, TCJ’s Department of Engineering, Division of Healthcare Improvement, will serve as interim acting director while a search for Mills replacement is conducted.
HCPRO
George Mills is leaving The Joint Commission
The Joint Commission confirmed Thursday afternoon that a key figure in standards interpretation for the healthcare accrediting organization will be departing this fall.
George Mills, MBA, FASHE, CEM, CHFM, CHSP, who has served as director of the organization’s engineering department for the past six years, will leave his post effective October 9. Mills has been with The Joint Commission for 14 years.
“During his tenure he has served as an advocate for healthcare organizations as they strive to improve the quality and safety of their physical environments,” a spokesperson for The Joint Commission said in an email.
The confirmation came after HCPro’s resident hospital safety expert, Steve MacArthur, safety consultant for The Greeley Company, blogged Thursday on murmurings of an impending Mills exit. The Joint Commission also confirmed MacArthur’s report that John D. Maurer, SASHE, CHFM, CHSP, will take over as acting director of engineering on an interim basis.
“I don’t anticipate that this will engender a significant change in how business will be conducted, including the practical administration of the Life Safety portion of the accreditation survey process,” MacArthur wrote, noting that he has always found Maurer to be “thoughtful, helpful, and equitable.”
Beginning October 9, Maurer will serve as acting director while a search for Mills’ successor is undertaken, the spokesperson said. Mills declined Thursday to comment on his forthcoming departure, and Maurer could not be reached.