Two Patient Safety Liaisons Hired in Southeastern Pennsylvania

The positions complete the educational patient safety consulting program begun by the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority in 2008

HARRISBURG, Pa., March 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority has hired its final two Patient Safety Liaisons for the Southeast region to serve as educational patient safety consultants to healthcare facilities that submit reports through the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System (PA-PSRS).

"The hiring process for the PSL program is complete," Fran Charney, director of Educational Programs at the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority said. "Every hospital, ambulatory surgical facility, abortion facility and birthing center that reports events to the Patient Safety Authority now has a patient safety liaison to consult with and help them determine what opportunities exist to improve patient safety in their facilities."

"In turn, the Authority has a valuable resource to help determine what educational programs and tools are needed to help reduce the risk of medical errors within Pennsylvania's healthcare facilities," Charney added.

Denise Barger of Berwyn, Pennsylvania and Michelle Bell, RN, of Omaha, Nebraska have been hired as Patient Safety Liaisons in the Southeast region.

Barger previously worked as director of Risk Management and Patient Safety in the Main Line and Jefferson Health systems in Philadelphia. The health system consists of five hospitals, ambulatory sites and physician practices. Barger led patient safety and risk management activities including hospital risk identification, analysis and prevention programs. She also directed system-wide environmental health and safety, workers' compensation and insurance programs. Specifically, these programs include: event investigation and analysis, root cause analysis and failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), risk assessment and reduction strategies, patient safety programs and communication, website development for patient safety education, regulatory compliance, policy procedure review, data management and analysis, workers' compensation program implementation, and implementation of environmental safety programs.

Barger has also worked as a consultant with Veritas Medical Services, Inc., as a director of Risk Management and Medical Staff Services with the Germantown Hospital and Medical Center and as director of Risk Management and Safety at Rancocas and Zurbrugg Memorial Hospitals in Rancocas, New Jersey.

Bell, a registered nurse, most recently worked as a fellow with the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), a sub-contractor with the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority and a non-profit research health organization based out of Horsham, Pennsylvania.

Prior to her fellowship with ISMP, Bell worked as a Quality Improvement Specialist in Quality Management Services and in the Emergency Department at the Alegent Health Bergan Mercy Medical Center.

Her duties included working to develop and implement performance improvement plans, facilitating process improvement teams and serving as a consultant on process, data aggregation/analysis, and report generation.

Bell also conducted mock accreditation and regulatory surveys throughout the facility and helped develop action plans for compliance with the Joint Commission. She also was the event manager for fall, restraint and skin integrity event reports. Bell helped analyze medication error reports and participated in root cause analysis of events when necessary. She will begin her new PSL position in mid-May.

"Denise and Michelle bring additional patient safety experience to our Patient Safety Liaison program," Charney said. "Each PSL brings a different area of expertise and focus from their experiences in the healthcare arena to move the PSL program forward. Michelle's experience in medication safety and the emergency department along with Denise's experience in risk management and patient safety will benefit their work with Patient Safety Officers."

Charney said specifically among other duties the PSL will: help the Authority gain a better understanding of the patient safety issues facing patients and facilities; assist facilities with implementing Authority guidance to reduce and eliminate harmful events; identify training needs and coordinate education and focus sessions with hospitals on a regional or individual level with other PSLs and personnel from the Authority's contractors, ECRI Institute and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP); deliver presentations at individual hospitals, local professional societies and other interest groups regarding the Authority's role, mission and activities and foster patient safety cooperation among facilities in the region.

"This program began through conversations the Authority had with Patient Safety Officers a couple of years ago," Charney said. "We want those useful conversations to continue within each region of Pennsylvania between the Authority and the healthcare facilities that report events. The PSLs will be able to help us continue those important conversations."

CONTACT: Laurene M. Baker, Patient Safety Authority, 717-346-1092

SOURCE Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority