Andre Vovan, MD, MBA

Critical Care, Quality, Patient Safety, and Clinical Effectiveness Consultant

Andre Vovan, MD, MBA is a critical care specialist who led the system-wide sepsis collaborative for hospitals in the St. Joseph Hoag Health network of care and remains a champion of sepsis identification and treatment. His leadership and advocacy for improved sepsis outcomes have helped health systems decrease sepsis mortality and shorten hospital stays, which is better for patients and reduces healthcare costs overall.

Dr. Vovan was formerly the Executive Medical Director of the Acute Care Institute at Hoag Hospital. He was also the Chief of Clinical Effectiveness Officer at Providence St. Joseph Health, and most recently was the Vice President of Quality and Patient Safety at Tenet Health. He received his MBA from the University of California, Irvine, and his MD from the University of California, San Diego. In 2017 he received a Sepsis Heroes award from Sepsis Alliance for his advocacy to improve sepsis outcomes and his leadership within the health system. He is also a member of the Sepsis Alliance Advisory Board.

Cindy Hou, DO, MA, MBA, FACOI, FACP, FIDSA

Infection Control Officer, Jefferson Health-New Jersey

Cindy Hou, DO, is the Infection Control Officer and infectious diseases specialist at Jefferson Health-New Jersey. Her hospital system was nationally recognized by Sepsis Alliance as a Sepsis Hero in 2016. She is the physician lead for the hospital’s Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee, Sepsis on the Floors Task Force, Infection Control Committee, and more. Dr. Hou has been a passionate advocate for early detection, prevention, education, and management of sepsis in the community hospital setting. She has helped to champion the development of nurse-initiated policies, old school education, and the impact of multi-disciplinary teams on survival of patients with sepsis. She has also studied the impact of mandatory infectious disease consults on C. diff infections and severe sepsis. She also serves as the physician champion for the New Jersey Hospital Association’s Antimicrobial Stewardship Collaborative. In 2018, she was a recipient of the Heroes of Infection Prevention award in Patient Safety from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. She is also an active member of the Sepsis Alliance Board of Directors.

Cecilia Hilerio, MHA, RHIT

Assistant Vice President, CDI, Coding & HIM, Inspira Health

Cecilia G. Hilerio, MHA, RHIT is the new Assistant Vice President, CDI, Coding, & HIM. She previously served as the Jefferson Health-New Jersey Enterprise Senior Director for Clinical Documentation Improvement, managing Epic electronic medical records implementation for Middle Revenue Cycle. She was an instrumental player in the build, design, testing, and operational workflows for health information management, coding, and clinical documentation improvement. 

With over 25 years of experience, she has held senior leadership positions at hospitals in New York, California, and New Jersey focusing on quality, documentation improvement, and coding quality data with emphasis on ensuring accurate reimbursement. 

In addition, Ms. Hilerio has served in Chief Privacy Officer positions and worked on the New Jersey Health Information Management Association Executive Board as Coder Round Table Chair. She received a MHA from Walden University, BA in Health Care Administration from Rider University, and an AS in Health Information Management from Cypress College.