Dedicated to improving the quality of patient care in the healthcare industry, Dr. Eshani  Karu MD is inspired by the Lean Six Sigma methodology – a method that relies on a collaborative effort to improve performance by systematically removing waste and reducing variation.

Throughout her extremely successful career, Dr. Eshani  Karu MD has worked for a number of reputable organizations, where she has achieved effective outcomes while reducing costs at the same time, including the Family Practice Medical Group of Pomona Valley as a Practice Administrator, Policy Advisor II at San Bernardino County, Fourth District, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center at Healthcare Program Administrator, Accreditation and Compliance, and now as a Family Practice Physician at Family Practice Group of Pomona Valley.

Dr. Eshani  Karu pursued her education in the U.S., graduating with Honors in Research in Psychiatry and Honors in Psychopharmacology from medical school.  She didn’t stop there, however, her desire for continual self improvement drove her to obtain her Masters in Health Administration at the University of La Verne with a Concentration in Leadership and Management. During her time there, Dr. Karu explored an issue close to her heart, cost effectiveness of health care in her thesis was “Which Continuity of Care Model Should the U.S. Adopt? An Examination from a Cost-Effectiveness perspective”, published in The Journal of Southern California Clinicians, 5(1). 47-54, August 2011.

Throughout her career, Dr. Eshani Karu MD has achieved a number of notable feats in the healthcare industry , including starting her own business, and driving the development of new policies in telemedicine and emergency medical services while serving as Policy Advisor II in San Bernardino County. What matters most to Dr. Karu, however, is her ability to lead teams to achieve cost effective results in both private practice and hospitals because this approach allows hospitals and practices to have the resources to help patients most effectively. Dr. Karu is proud that while serving as leader of accreditation and compliance at ARMC, she was able to use Lean Six Sigma methodologies to develop and implement corrective action plans for fifty different departments, resulting in ARMC’s successful attainment of Joint Commission Accreditation. Dr. Karu’s dedication to helping hospitals achieve good patient outcomes started when she served as Assistant Clinical Administrator at Kindred Hospital Los Angeles. In her role at KHLA, Dr. Karu was able to help the hospital to develop and implement a program to reduce hospital acquired infections to below national benchmark levels. Dr. Karu’s achievements in private practice are no less impressive – during her time as Administrator of the Family Practice Group of Pomona Valley, she implemented process improvements that resulted in a 14% increase in compliance with HEDIS quality measures, which included improving management of chronic diseases such as diabetes and congestive heart failure, while streamlining waste, improving profit by 10%.

Dr. Karu’s motivation for becoming a physician was to help improve patient’s lives. She has carried that tenet with her as a guiding principle when she worked in administration in both the hospital sector and private practice sector. It also drove her to give back to the community. For years, she volunteered at Bethel Community Food Bank, in Pomona, where she helped with the intake process for providing clothing, food and family resources for residents in need. Dr. Karu’s volunteer work also allowed her to make use of her leadership skills as she served as a mentor and trainer for new volunteers, taking them under her wing and showing them what to do. Now that she is working as a physician at Family Practice Medical Group of Pomona Valley, she brings that desire to help patients to work as she sees patients each day.

For more, be sure to check back as Dr. Eshani Karu MD shares insights and updates into the world of healthcare and leadership.