Lou Fatkin
Director of Risk Management, Quality, Safety,
and Physician Recruitment

Vital Stats
Years of experience in healthcare:  30
Education:  Degree in Political Science/Public Administration
Hobbies:  Cycling, Hiking/scrambling, snow shoeing

Q&A
The thing that makes me happy to come to work each day: Without a doubt, it's the people.  I enjoy working with professionals who have meaning and purpose in their lives, who have a clear vision, a set of values and directions, which bind us all together.  I call them my colleauges, but more importantly, they are my friends.

My greatest accomplishment at EIRMC has been:  To quote Robert J. Kriegel, in his book, If It Ain't Broke.....Break It, "To survive, much less succeed, you must learn to be out in front of the wave."  My greatest accomplishment has been staying out in front of the wave for 28 years at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, especially in light of the ever-changing health care environment.

Life is an adventure because: To quote Lance Armstrong, "I take nothing for granted now; I either have good days or great days."  A great day for me is breaking the "fun barrier" with my wife, Kathy, whether it's bagging a peak, hiking an alpine trail, kayaking across a beautiful high mountain lake, or traveling to a place we have never been.  The bottom line: I can have fun anywhere.

People are usually surprised when they find this out about me: I worked for the National Parks Service during this country's bicentennial in Washington, D.C., in 1976.

Employees at EIRMC tend to feel like family because: We work together as a cohesive team to provide compassionate, quality care for our patients.  This family cohesiveness extends to our patients.  I'm proud to be a member of the "I Am EIRMC" family.