Experienced leader to support nursing excellence and advance patient-centered care.

Frye Regional Medical Center is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Steffan, DNP, RN, as its new Assistant Chief Nursing Officer. Steffan brings more than 25 years of progressive leadership experience across emergency services, medical-surgical care, geriatrics, care coordination and system-wide quality improvement.

In his new role, Steffan will support nursing operations, quality initiatives, workforce development, patient safety efforts and strategic planning across the organization. His extensive background in hospital leadership, combined with his commitment to operational excellence, will play a key role in advancing Frye Regional’s mission of making communities healthier®.

“Michael’s leadership experience, collaborative approach and unwavering commitment to quality make him an outstanding addition to our executive nursing team,” said Bridget Denzik, DNP, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Chief Nursing Officer of Frye Regional Medical Center. “We are excited to welcome him to Frye Regional as we continue advancing safe, high-quality, patient-centered care.”

Steffan joins Frye Regional from Haywood Regional Medical Center, where he served as Director of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Dialysis and Wound Care and Interim Director for ICU, PCU, Respiratory and Cardiac Rehab. During his tenure, he implemented initiatives that strengthened staffing and retention, eliminated reliance on travel nurses, improved patient throughput, reduced operating costs and elevated overall quality performance, including achieving a Leapfrog A rating and increasing CMS quality scores from 3 to 4 stars.

Prior to his leadership roles in North Carolina, Steffan spent six years as Continuing Care Administrator for the Southern California Permanente Medical Group, overseeing long-term care, geriatrics, palliative care and inpatient care coordination programs. Under his direction, readmissions, patient-day rates and length of stay improved significantly, while several programs earned top-tier Medicare performance. Earlier in his career, Steffan served more than a decade at Antelope Valley Hospital in California, rising from staff nurse to Director of Emergency Services for one of the busiest emergency departments in Los Angeles County.

Steffan holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Touro University in Las Vegas, Nevada; a Master of Science in Nursing and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Western Governors University; and a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from the University of Montana. He is an experienced educator, national presenter and former Intelligence Analyst in the United States Army.

For more information, visit FryeMedCtr.com.

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