In the News This Month
Greetings everyone,
Welcome Spring!
With patient safety week just wrapping up the healthcare industry is reminded that quality of care and patient safety should be of the utmost priority for any healthcare worker and facility. Regulatory agencies continue to enforce standards to ensure that potential risks are minimized to provide a safe work environment as well as positive patient outcomes.
Our feature article, "Count Sheets - Where Do They Belong?", by Denise Smith, Senior Consultant examines some of the risks created by this surgical process and emphasizes the need for healthcare staff to understand and attempt to mitigate these risks.
Another area of focus is the physical environment which can present a clear risk to positive patient outcomes if not considered as an influencer on patient safety. Chris Pratt, Senior Consultant & Accredited Provider Program Director's article , "The Environment of Care and Positive Patient Care Outcomes" speaks to the importance of healthcare leaders and staff being educated on how the physical environment impacts patient safety and tips for maintaining a safe environment to ensure staff and patients are protected.
We hope you find these articles informative and helpful in assisting you with your ongoing regulatory readiness. Please feel free to reach out to us at info@courtemanche-assocs.com with any topics you would like to see featured or for any service needs you may have.
Surgical Count Sheets – Where Do They Belong?
About the Authors
Joseph Esch, MBA CHFM
Joseph Esch is a Life safety surveyor and consultant. He is trained under the HFAP Acute Care and Critical Access Hospital requirements, as well as The Joint Commission accreditation requirements for the physical environment, fire safety, Life Safety Code®, and Emergency Management chapters. Joseph has 14 years in healthcare, his primary focus is the operations, plant and the physical environment. He has assisted in the planning and initial startup of facility programs in several acute care facilities, including the implementation of CMMS, compliance program, capital forecasting, and facility condition indexing and has been chairman of the EOC committee. He currently holds a Certified Healthcare Facility Manager certification issued by the American Hospital association in 2015 and is a member of the American Society of Healthcare Engineers and the local chapter of Chesapeake Area for Healthcare Engineers.
How the Environment of Care Impacts Positive Patient Outcomes
About the Authors
Christopher Pratt, MS, BSN, HACP
Chris Pratt is a Senior Consultant with Courtemanche and Associates with more than 33 years in clinical and leadership experience working in varying healthcare positions from the bedside to the Boardroom. In this role, he is responsible for assessing healthcare organizations’ readiness for licensing, accreditation, and regulatory compliance. He is trained in the survey process, auditing approach and survey outcome determination utilized by The Joint Commission, DNV, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and other regulatory agencies and accrediting organizations. He assists organizations with post-survey activities, education, patient safety strategies, and quality improvement initiatives and has experience in various health care settings including acute care, behavioral health, and ambulatory care settings.
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