Susan Kinter Named as New President and CEO of the Maryland Medicine Comprehensive Insurance Program

Susan Kinter, BSN, JD, has been appointed as the new President and CEO of the Maryland Medicine Comprehensive Insurance Program, (MMCIP), stepping into the role on February 24. Ms. Kinter has served in successive executive roles with MMCIP since 1998. 

A joint venture between the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) and University Faculty Physicians (FPI), MMCIP manages the Health Professional Liability Insurance Program for physicians and nurses across all University of Maryland system member organizations and practice groups, among other efforts to ensure worker and patient safety. 

Ms. Kinter brings decades of experience in healthcare and healthcare law to the executive role at MMCIP. She holds both a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Michigan State University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. After five years in nursing, Ms. Kinter spent eight years as a litigator focused on medical malpractice defense with the Baltimore law firm Miles & Stockbridge. Joining MMCIP in 1998 as a claims manager, Ms. Kinter subsequently served as Director and later Senior Vice President of Claims, Litigation and Risk Management before assuming her new role. 

“Today’s healthcare providers face many challenges related to our core mission at MMCIP, which is focused around loss prevention, mitigating litigation costs, and keeping our patients and our staff members safe,” Ms. Kinter said. “MMCIP is a stellar, innovative, and forward-thinking organization with a long track record of success in our core mission, and I am honored to be in a position to steward that success through the challenges of the future.”

Ms. Kinter succeeds Depriest Whye, MD, a Clinical Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at UMSOM, who served as President and CEO of MMCIP from 1998 through January of this year.

Mark T. Gladwin, MD, the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine, and Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland, Baltimore, appointed Ms. Kinter to her new role. MMCIP’s Board of Directors consists of 12 representatives —  six representatives from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and six from UMMS — and a rotating Chair currently held by Dean Gladwin, to whom Ms. Kinter will report.

“Susan Kinter’s track record in protecting patient and provider safety at MMCIP is exemplary,” Dean Gladwin said. “I’m confident that under her leadership MMCIP will be ready to surmount the healthcare challenges of the coming years, mitigating risks, and further enhancing safety and efficiency for our faculty, providers, and patients.” 

FPI supports the clinical activities of more than 1,300 UMSOM faculty across 95 practice locations across Maryland, along with more than 1,000 non-physician staff. The President and CEO of MMCIP plays an important role in ensuring alignment between the strategic visions and missions of UMMS, UMSOM, and FPI, and manages a department with a $14.5 million budget. 

“Susan Kinter brings years of important experience within MMCIP and FPI to her new role as CEO,” said Rachel Hoover, Executive Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer of FPI. “We look forward to working with her in this leadership role to achieve our joint missions of providing excellent care to our patients while supporting our providers and staff across our practice locations.” 

William Regine, MD, Chair of the UMSOM Department of Radiation Oncology and President of FPI noted that Ms. Kinter’s background made her a perfect candidate for the CEO role at MMCIP, which requires both legal expertise and an intimate understanding of hospital and clinical practices. 

“Analyzing risks and enhancing provider and patient safety in today's clinical settings requires an understanding of the complex systems and teams required to provide world-class care,” Dr. Regine said. “Susan Kinter’s foundation in clinical nursing practice, her years of legal practice within MMCIP, and her familiarity with FPI and UMMS mark her as the ideal candidate to support our staff and providers and give them confidence to continue providing the best care to patients across Maryland.”

The most public role of MMCIP is in assessing incidents of alleged medical mistakes, which can involve defending practitioners in legal cases or working with harmed parties to find accountability, as well as working with practitioners and practice groups to reduce risks of injury or mistakes. 

MMCIP also works proactively to ensure workplace and patient safety, according to Ms. Kinter. This includes analyzing practices and facilities to identify hazards, such as needle sticks, fall risks, or shortages of the proper equipment for lifting patients that could lead to injuries to patients or staff. MMCIP also funds projects designed to fill gaps and reduce risk, such as the Neonatal Outcomes Impacted by Escalation Safety Telemetry (NEST) project at UMMS. 

”Our real aim is to make sure these problems never occur in the first place,” Ms. Kinter said. “Reaching zero preventable harm is always the goal of MMCIP.”