Summary
Kristine Weiss Adams, MSN, CNP, is the associate chief nursing officer (ACNO) for care management and ambulatory services for Cleveland Clinic health system. In her role, Adams is responsible for leading and coordinating nursing practice within ambulatory primary care and specialty practices, a Medicare-certified home care agency, and hospice including general inpatient, respite and hospice at home. She also directs inpatient care management, ambulatory care management for value-based contracting, and post-acute nursing practice. Additionally, Adams continues her nurse practitioner practice in congestive heart failure, and chronic kidney disease patients with anemia.
Adams began her career in 1992 as a staff nurse at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Michigan. She joined Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital in 2008, and became a nurse practitioner in 2010. She has worked in many nursing specialty areas, as well as the free clinic setting, which has given her a thoughtful perspective on the way in which care should be provided to the most vulnerable patient populations. Throughout her career, Adams has served on numerous steering committees and councils in areas such as nursing quality, practice, advanced practice, community strategy, legislation and policy, research, shared governance, engagement, readmissions, length of stay and throughput. She is a two-time recipient of The Ohio State University Distinguished Alumni Award and a recipient of the Greater Cleveland Nurse’s Association Faces of Care Award and Cleveland Clinic’s Louise McNamara Award for Excellence in Leadership and Clinical Nursing.
Education
- MSN, Adult Nurse Practitioner, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, 2010
- BSN, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 1992
Certifications
- Certified Adult Nurse Practitioner (CNP)
Contact Information
9500 Euclid Avenue / TT4-401A
Cleveland, Ohio 44195
216.509.1818
kradam@ccf.org
Leadership
As an advanced practice nurse with more than 25 years of progressive leadership experience, Adams is experienced in the management of both people and services. She demonstrates excellent interpersonal skills, has a strong work ethic and is committed to ongoing learning. Furthermore, she has the proven ability to develop, organize and lead diverse healthcare teams to achieve operational, fiscal and organizational goals. As APN/PA Manager for Fairview Hospital, Adams was instrumental in restructuring pre-admission testing to utilize APNs and PAs at their highest level of licensure. When she served as Nursing Research and Quality Specialist for Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital, she helped the organization achieve its first ANCC Magnet® designation in 2008, as well as re-designation in 2013. Additionally, Adams was among the first providers at Cleveland Clinic to see patients in Healthspot, a telemedicine format, and she was also responsible for bringing the Express Care Online telemedicine platform to Cleveland Clinic’s Taussig Cancer Institute.
Clinical Practice & Teaching
Clinical Practice
Adams’ clinical expertise lies within the areas of primary care, especially for underserved populations.
Teaching
Throughout her career, Adams has served as a mentor and educator to staff nurses, student interns and high school students on bedside research projects and research programs. Additionally, Adams is a clinical faculty member at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, where she provides instruction for students in the university’s nurse practitioner program.
Research & Publications
Adams has served as both a primary investigator and co-investigator in several research studies on a variety of clinical and professional topics, such as hypothermia and pain correlation in post-operative abdominal surgery; non-verbal pain assessment; developing an innovation unit; and, blood transfusions. She is currently working with a physician team and the FDA to develop a new device to help manage emergency epistaxis in anticoagulated patients. Adams has also served as a podium and panel presenter at several national conferences, presenting on topics in oncology, patient discharge, and how to leverage advanced practice nurses and physician assistants at their highest level of licensure.
Professional Involvement
- Member, Care Management Society of America
- Member, Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses
- Member, American Association of Advanced Practice Nurses
- Member, Sigma Theta Tau – Epsilon Chapter
Honors & Awards
- Alumni Community Service Award, The Ohio State University, 2016
- Faces of Care Award, Greater Cleveland Nurse’s Association, 2013
- Louise McNamara Award for Excellence in Leadership and Clinical Nursing, Cleveland Clinic, 2007
- Nominee, Cleveland Clinic Nursing Hall of Fame, 2006
- Alumni Choice Award for Clinical Excellence, The Ohio State University, 1992
