Q&A: 'Anybody who studies quality will tell you that variation is the absolute enemy of quality,' says new Sentara CEO

This month, longtime Sentara Healthcare Chief Operating Officer Howard Kern took the reins from CEO David Bernd, who served 43 years at Sentara, including 21 as CEO. Modern Healthcare editor Merrill Goozner spoke with Kern about the transition and the constant challenge of improving clinical quality. Here is an edited transcript of their discussion.