June 2024 Newsletter

In the News This Month

Greetings Everyone,

In addition to the month of May paying tribute to nurses and hospital workers, it also was Stroke Awareness Month. With this in mind, we thought there would be value in sharing where the most recent findings are occurring in the Disease Specific Certification Process for Stroke. Our feature article, "Is Your Stroke Certification Program on Target?" authored by C&A's Denise Smith and Patricia Cook, highlights the Top 5 cited deficiencies, and tips for avoiding these deficiencies.

Another frequently cited item during triennial surveys is Competency Assessment. It is the responsibility of each healthcare organization to ensure that staff are competent and can perform the skills and job responsibilities to provide safe and high-quality care to their patients. Refer to Denise Smith's and Patricia Cook's article, "Does Your Competency Program really assess competency," to learn more about the potential pitfalls and how to avoid them while enhancing quality and patient safety.

Thank you for taking the time to read our articles. We hope this information is helpful in assisting you with accreditation and regulatory compliance needs. If you have any suggestions for future topics or require our services, please reach out to us at info@courtemanche-assocs.com. Our team is always available and eager to assist you in any way we can.

Doctors discussing brain scan for stroke

Jun 27 2024

Is your Stroke Certification Program on Target?
As we wrap up Stroke Awareness Month, we thought there would be value to talking about where the most recent findings are occurring in the Disease Specific Certification Process for Stroke. First, let us look at the latest statistics regarding stroke. Did you know according to the latest statistics: ...
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The Authors

Denise Smith, RN, BS, MS, CLNC, HACP-CMS

Denise Smith is a Senior Consultant with Courtemanche & Associates. In this role she is responsible for assessing healthcare organizational readiness for licensing, certification, accreditation, and regulatory compliance. She has extensive knowledge in the requirements of The Joint Commission, DNV, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services including knowledge in their survey process, auditing approach and survey outcome determination. She also has knowledge and experience in AAAHC and other regulatory and accreditation organizations. She assists organizations with survey preparation, educational needs, post survey activities, patient safety strategies and quality improvement initiatives. Denise has more than 40 years of experience and expertise in Infection Prevention, Sterile Processing, Legal Nurse Consulting, Quality and Resource Management, Clinical Education, in acute inpatient and outpatient care settings.

Patricia Cook, B.S., R.Ph, HACP, GRCP

Pat Cook is a Senior Consultant and Head of Consulting Services at Courtemanche & Associates. Working in collaboration with the C&A Leaders, Pat manages Courtemanche & Associate’s business development initiatives and oversees the clinical delivery of services and support. With her extensive healthcare experience, Pat serves as a knowledgeable resource to new and existing clients, helping to guide them through their accreditation and regulatory needs.

Competency Program really assess competency

May 30 2024

Does Your Competency Program really assess competency?
So often when we are working with an organization, we will review competency documentation and often see confusion regarding what constitutes an assessment of competence. Several years ago, The Joint Commission provided clarification on this topic by providing definitions within the glossary of terms of each accreditation manual. Assessment ...
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About the Authors

Patricia Cook, B.S., R.Ph, HACP, GRCP

Pat Cook is a Senior Consultant and Head of Consulting Services at Courtemanche & Associates. Working in collaboration with the C&A Leaders, Pat manages Courtemanche & Associate’s business development initiatives and oversees the clinical delivery of services and support. With her extensive healthcare experience, Pat serves as a knowledgeable resource to new and existing clients, helping to guide them through their accreditation and regulatory needs.

Denise Smith, RN, BS, MS, CLNC, HACP-CMS

Denise Smith is a Senior Consultant with Courtemanche & Associates. In this role she is responsible for assessing healthcare organizational readiness for licensing, certification, accreditation, and regulatory compliance. She has extensive knowledge in the requirements of The Joint Commission, DNV, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services including knowledge in their survey process, auditing approach and survey outcome determination. She also has knowledge and experience in AAAHC and other regulatory and accreditation organizations. She assists organizations with survey preparation, educational needs, post survey activities, patient safety strategies and quality improvement initiatives. Denise has more than 40 years of experience and expertise in Infection Prevention, Sterile Processing, Legal Nurse Consulting, Quality and Resource Management, Clinical Education, in acute inpatient and outpatient care settings.

Disclaimer: The information on this website is published in good faith for general information purposes only. This website does not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability and accuracy of this information.

The Joint Commission® is a registered trademark of Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Courtemanche & Associates has no affiliation with this entity.

Courtemanche & Associates | (704)-573-4535 | Email: info@courtemanche-assocs.com

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