Kathleen K. Mechler
Mechler serves as co-director and chief operating officer for the Rural and Community Health Institute (RCHI). She has more than 25 years of health care experience, with more than 15 years in senior leadership. Mechler’s experience includes acute care, behavioral health and managed care operations. Not only does she bring health care leadership experience to RCHI, but she also has a very strong background and experience in quality improvement and utilization management. She brings a history of successful experience with regulatory and accreditation surveys.
In addition to serving as a director of quality and performance improvement, Mechler has served as a hospital CEO and directed the Joint Commission’s External Quality Review Organization (EQRO) in Texas and managed other Joint Commission EQRO projects.
Mechler is the recipient of the first Texas Center for Infectious Disease (TCID) Sigma Theta Tau Nurse Image Maker Award and one of the first TCID, Texas Department of Health, H.E.A.L.T.H. Award recipients. She is licensed to practice nursing in Texas and Colorado. Mechler holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Southwest Texas State University. She is a member of the National Association of Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) and the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). Mechler is a certified professional in healthcare quality (CPHQ) and an examiner for Quality Texas. Recently, she was appointed to the Texas Health Services Authority.
