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Ken Grubbs, DNP, RN

EVP for Accreditation and Certification Operations/Chief Nursing Officer
Joint Commission

Ken Grubbs, DNP, is the executive vice president for accreditation and certification operations and chief nursing officer for Joint Commission. In this role, he leads the accreditation and certification of more than 23,000 healthcare organizations and programs; all activities related to surveys, eligibility and application processes; customer account management; and federal deeming compliance requirements. Grubbs also administers accreditation and certification policy development, surveyor education and development, survey technology, and the ongoing development and refinement of the accreditation process.


Grubbs has extensive work experience in healthcare accreditation. Previously, he served as vice president of regulatory and accreditation services for HCA Healthcare. In this role, he supported all HCA Healthcare facilities by leading clinical regulatory compliance and continual survey readiness for foundational quality and safety. By developing programs for clinical performance improvement, quality management and risk mitigation, he helped lead HCA Healthcare to benchmark clinical performance in numerous areas. Earlier at HCA, Grubbs served as director of quality standards and as a patient safety specialist for emergency services. He also served at the National Patient Safety Foundation as the assistant vice president of programs. During his time at the National Patient Safety Foundation, he was responsible for leading the development of patient safety tools and resources. He also completed the American Hospital Association and National Patient Safety Foundation’s Comprehensive Patient Safety Leadership Fellowship.


Grubbs began his career in healthcare as an emergency department nurse in Tennessee and has held various leadership positions with a primary focus in emergency services and medical-surgical intensive care services. He served on the Quality and Safety Advisory Council of the Emergency Nurses Association and the Lantern Award Selection Committee for multiple years. He also served on multiple liaison councils for Joint Commission.


Grubbs received his Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and his Master of Business Administration from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

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