Congratulations to Michael P. Ast, MD, Chief Medical Innovation Officer, and Chief of the Knee Service at HSS, who has been named among Becker's Healthcare hospital and health system chief innovation officers to know.

These forward-looking leaders help their organizations stay ahead in an evolving care landscape by championing inventive, strategic and future-focused solutions. From introducing transformative technologies and refining patient care approaches to cultivating impactful collaborations, chief innovation officers are accelerating meaningful progress throughout healthcare.

At HSS, Dr. Ast advances technology-enabled orthopedic care and scalable surgical pathways. He has spearheaded initiatives integrating robotics, data-driven decision-making and patient-specific solutions to improve outcomes and accelerate recovery in joint replacement. He pioneered joint replacement pathways implemented across more than 200 ambulatory surgery centers, expanding access while setting standards for safety, efficiency and recovery. A major focus of his work has been opioid-sparing pain management, with initiatives that significantly reduced opioid use in joint replacement patients while maintaining excellent outcomes. Dr. Ast collaborates with medical technology companies to design implants and tools now used globally, and serves as an educator for surgeons through trainings, webinars and international operating room observerships. 

Read the full article at beckershospitalreview.com.