Becker’s Healthcare recognizes Dr. Bhadriraju, who serves as Chief Medical Officer for Prime Healthcare in the Valley
Mission / Weslaco / Harlingen, Texas / June, 2024 – Longtime Valley physician Dr. Padmini Bhadriraju has been named a “Chief Medical Officer to Know” by a national publication, Becker’s Hospital Review.
Dr. Bhadriraju, an internal medicine physician and hospitalist, serves as Chief Medical Officer for Prime Healthcare hospitals in the Valley, including Mission Regional Medical Center, Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco, and Harlingen Medical Center.
“The physician leaders highlighted by this list champion patient safety, uphold rigorous quality standards, act as liaisons between leadership teams and medical staff, manage risk, and much more,” Becker’s Healthcare stated in publishing the list of chief medical officers to know. “These CMOs are drivers of continuous improvement, and their efforts have helped garner numerous quality and safety accolades for their respective organizations.”
The publication noted that Dr. Bhadriraju helps save lives in Valley hospitals — both in her role of providing administrative oversight as chief medical officer — and as a hospitalist and primary care physician providing direct patient care.
“Maintaining the highest national standards for patient safety and quality of care is something that Dr. Bhadriraju strives for — and this is reflected in the fact that the three hospitals that Dr. Bhadriraju oversees are the only three hospitals in the Rio Grande Valley to earn an “A” for patient safety in the national Leapfrog ratings,” the publication added.
In fact, of the hospitals that Dr. Bhadriraju oversees, Mission Regional Medical Center has won the national award for patient safety eight times in a row, Harlingen Medical Center has won the award six times in a row, and Knapp Medical Center has won the award four times in a row.
In addition, Knapp Medical Center is the only hospital in the Valley to receive a 5-star rating in hospital ratings reports from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The 5-star rating is the highest possible rating — and reflects exceptional quality care being provided to patients by physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals at Knapp Medical Center – again reflecting the leadership provided by Dr. Bhadriraju.
In addition to overseeing three hospitals, Dr. Bhadriraju also serves as director of the Catalyst Medical Group, which offers primary care in two clinics in the Valley.
Dr. Bhadriraju has received many honors, and also recently received an “Outstanding Leader Award” from the India Association of the Rio Grande Valley.
Dr. Bhadriraju is board-certified in internal medicine and is experienced in management of chronic diseases for adult and senior patients. She completed an internship and medical school at Andhra Medical College and King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam, India, prior to completing a Residency in Internal Medicine at McLaren Regional Medical Center in Flint, Michigan.
Dr. Bhadriraju has also served as Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
In addition, Dr. Bhadriraju served those in need as a relieving physician at a United Nations Development Program Clinic in Ghana, West Africa … and as a volunteer physician at the Genesee County Free Clinic in Flint, Michigan.
To see a complete list of exceptional chief medical officers in healthcare, please visit Becker’s website at: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/lists/180-hospital-and-health-system-chief-medical-officers-to-know-2024.html.
For more information on award-winning care in the Rio Grande Valley, please visit www.missionrmc.org, www.KnappMed.org, and www.HarlingenMedicalCenter.com.
