Stephen T. Michaels, MD, FACHE, has been the president of MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center and senior vice president, MedStar Health, since February 2022.
Dr. Michaels has always been dedicated to improving the health of his patients and communities. He practiced orthopaedic surgery in Prince George’s County and Montgomery County for 19 years and held numerous medical staff leadership positions. After transitioning from clinical practice in 2011, he has held leadership positions in hospital operations. Prior to becoming MedStar Southern Maryland’s president, he served as MedStar St. Mary’s and MedStar Southern Maryland’s vice president, Medical Affairs and then chief operating and medical officer at MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital. While at MedStar St. Mary’s he co-led several MedStar Health councils, including MedStar Clinical Business Council & Clinical Documentation Improvement Program, MedStar Perioperative Governance Council, MedStar 2020 Transformation Initiative, Clinical Services Team, and MedStar ICD, 10 Implementation Project.
While at MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital he was responsible for several areas of top performance in quality and safety, earning 6 consecutive “A” grades in The LeapFrog Group’s biannual Hospital Safety Grade (through spring 2021). MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital was top decile ranked in the Maryland QBR and Maryland Hospital Acquired Conditions metric several times during his tenure. The hospital received the 2014 platinum level Maryland Performance Excellence Award, based on the rigorous standards of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. At MedStar Southern Maryland, Dr. Michaels’ leadership has resulted in recent accolades, including recognition as High Performing in Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Kidney Failure, Stroke, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease by U.S. News and World Report, re-designation as a stroke center by Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems, receiving an American Heart Association Gold Plus Stroke Award with Target: Type 2 Honor Roll Award, and designation as an American Nurses Credentialing Center Pathway to Excellence facility.
Dr. Michaels is interested in workforce development and creating opportunities for local youth. He was instrumental in forging a partnership with the Prince George’s County Public School system, which allows high school and college students the opportunity to participate in paid summer internships at MedStar Southern Maryland. The hospital welcomed its inaugural group of student interns in summer 2022. MedStar Southern Maryland was named a Healthiest Maryland Business (HMB) and a Pacesetter in the HMB’s Wellness at Work program. The hospital also established its first Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Council, which ensures that associates of all different ethnicities, races, and backgrounds are recognized at the workplace.
Additionally, Dr. Michaels has served as a member of the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission’s Performance Measurement Workgroup since 2018 and on the Maryland Hospital Association’s Council on Clinical & Quality Issues since 2015.
He has been named an Honorary Commander of Joint Base Andrews and is a member of the board of directors for the Prince George’s County Business Roundtable and Totally Linking Care Maryland. He served on the boards of Leadership Southern Maryland, The St. Mary’s County Chamber of Commerce and was co-chair of the Health St. Mary’s Partnership.
Dr. Michaels holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine. He completed his orthopaedic residency at SUNY-Stony Brook and fellowship in spine surgery at Rush University Hospital. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American College of Healthcare Executives.