Suzanne R Anders has over 20 years of experience in healthcare quality improvement, patient safety, and infection prevention. She has held several leadership roles with Health Services Advisory Group and California's Medicare Quality Improvement Organization, where she helped reduce catheter-associated urinary tract infections in hospitals. Anders is skilled in process improvement methodologies and has trained over 2000 clinicians to reduce healthcare-associated infections. She holds a Master's in Healthcare Innovation and is a registered nurse in California and Arizona.
This resource summarizes the eight recommendations outlined in the Institute of Medicine's a new consensus study entitled, Improving Diagnosis in Health Care. The recommendations are aimed at making diagnoses more accurate, reliable, efficient, and safe. This work is a continuation of the IOM’s Quality Chasm series.
PFCC INFOGRAPHIC: Six Steps to Patient EngagementEngagingPatients
The challenges of creating patient and family-centered care seem daunting. However, the PFCC Innovation Center of UPMC demonstrates it's easier than you think. In this infographic, you see it begins by engaging patients through a simple six step process.
Closing the Loop: Strategies to Extend Care in the EDEngagingPatients
This HIMSS15 presentation discusses the challenges faced in hospital emergency departments and offers insights for implementing a process to follow up with discharged ED patients to enhance outcomes and satisfaction,while optimizing utilization and reducing risk.
Creating a standard of care for patient and family engagementChristine Winters
Nationally-recognized governance expert Beth Daley Ullem addresses the state of patient engagement in heathcare and provides a vision for establishing a minimum standard of care for patient engagement programs.
Patient & Family Advisory Councils: the Business Case for Starting a PFAC & P...EngagingPatients
This webinar was presented on March 12, 2015 by Barbara Lewis. It looks at the prevalence and roles that Patient & Family Advisory Councils (PFACs) are playing in U.S. hospitals today, and builds a business case for their implementation:
At the RACMA Conference Talked about how to use machine learning to improve patient feedback as well as building the rules engine to advise on patient experience improvement. Here are some of the slides and stories shared at the conference which seem to be received very well.
This resource summarizes the eight recommendations outlined in the Institute of Medicine's a new consensus study entitled, Improving Diagnosis in Health Care. The recommendations are aimed at making diagnoses more accurate, reliable, efficient, and safe. This work is a continuation of the IOM’s Quality Chasm series.
PFCC INFOGRAPHIC: Six Steps to Patient EngagementEngagingPatients
The challenges of creating patient and family-centered care seem daunting. However, the PFCC Innovation Center of UPMC demonstrates it's easier than you think. In this infographic, you see it begins by engaging patients through a simple six step process.
Closing the Loop: Strategies to Extend Care in the EDEngagingPatients
This HIMSS15 presentation discusses the challenges faced in hospital emergency departments and offers insights for implementing a process to follow up with discharged ED patients to enhance outcomes and satisfaction,while optimizing utilization and reducing risk.
Creating a standard of care for patient and family engagementChristine Winters
Nationally-recognized governance expert Beth Daley Ullem addresses the state of patient engagement in heathcare and provides a vision for establishing a minimum standard of care for patient engagement programs.
Patient & Family Advisory Councils: the Business Case for Starting a PFAC & P...EngagingPatients
This webinar was presented on March 12, 2015 by Barbara Lewis. It looks at the prevalence and roles that Patient & Family Advisory Councils (PFACs) are playing in U.S. hospitals today, and builds a business case for their implementation:
At the RACMA Conference Talked about how to use machine learning to improve patient feedback as well as building the rules engine to advise on patient experience improvement. Here are some of the slides and stories shared at the conference which seem to be received very well.
This workshop will look at patient care pathways and demonstrate how simulation can combine process flow across; services, clinical best practice and the progression of patients through disease states, to test the impact of improvement initiatives on patient care, outcomes, costs and resource utilization.
Using examples from recent projects on simulating care pathways within HIV services, and simulating future service needs for dementia care, we show the results of combining disease progression with service utilization.
In the workshop, we’ll consider what the ideal pathway model would look like and invite you to work with us to build a pathway using our latest technology.
Dr. Edward Wagner, Director (Emeritus) MacColl Center, Senior Investigator, Group Health Research Institute addresses the 2014 Weitzman Symposium on The Future of Primary Care
Dr Avi Ratnanesan is the Chief Executive Officer of Energesse, a leading firm that specialises in improving patient experience and customer experience in healthcare. Energesse provides thought leadership in patient-centred innovation and technology solutions including MES Experience for real-time patient feedback and PanSensic for free-text analytics of patient stories.
The patient experience describes an individual's experience of illness/injury and how healthcare treats them. Good patient experience is very helpful for healthcare industry. Many hospitals and clinics use patient experience surveys to identify where they stand in the term of Patient Experience.
[HOW TO] Create High Performance Emergency DepartmentsEmCare
EmCare’s latest White Paper on implementing a system-wide approach to providing emergency care. At Baylor Health Care System, the initiative has fostered the development of numerous approaches to managing the challenges faced by its emergency departments, including an innovative protocol to manage overcrowding at the system’s flagship facility.
This workshop will look at patient care pathways and demonstrate how simulation can combine process flow across; services, clinical best practice and the progression of patients through disease states, to test the impact of improvement initiatives on patient care, outcomes, costs and resource utilization.
Using examples from recent projects on simulating care pathways within HIV services, and simulating future service needs for dementia care, we show the results of combining disease progression with service utilization.
In the workshop, we’ll consider what the ideal pathway model would look like and invite you to work with us to build a pathway using our latest technology.
Dr. Edward Wagner, Director (Emeritus) MacColl Center, Senior Investigator, Group Health Research Institute addresses the 2014 Weitzman Symposium on The Future of Primary Care
Dr Avi Ratnanesan is the Chief Executive Officer of Energesse, a leading firm that specialises in improving patient experience and customer experience in healthcare. Energesse provides thought leadership in patient-centred innovation and technology solutions including MES Experience for real-time patient feedback and PanSensic for free-text analytics of patient stories.
The patient experience describes an individual's experience of illness/injury and how healthcare treats them. Good patient experience is very helpful for healthcare industry. Many hospitals and clinics use patient experience surveys to identify where they stand in the term of Patient Experience.
[HOW TO] Create High Performance Emergency DepartmentsEmCare
EmCare’s latest White Paper on implementing a system-wide approach to providing emergency care. At Baylor Health Care System, the initiative has fostered the development of numerous approaches to managing the challenges faced by its emergency departments, including an innovative protocol to manage overcrowding at the system’s flagship facility.
January-February 2016 • Vol. 25/No. 1 17
CPT (R) Gwendolyn Godlock, MS-PSL, BSN, RN, AN, CPHQ, is Field Representative Nurse
Surveyor, The Joint Commission, Oakbrook, Terrace, IL.
CPT Mollie Christiansen, BSN, RN, AN, CMSRN, is Clinical Nurse Officer in Charge, Burn
Progressive Care Unit, United States Army Institute of Surgical Research, Joint Base San
Antonio Fort Sam Houston, TX.
COL Laura Feider, PhD, RN, is Dean, School of Nursing Science and Chief, Department of
Nursing Science, Army Medical Department Center and School, Health Readiness Center of
Excellence, Joint Base San Antonio Fort Sam Houston, TX.
Acknowledgments: The team would like to thank nursing leaders COL (R) Sheri Howell, for-
mer Deputy Commander of Nursing and Chief of Staff; and COL Richard Evans, Assistant
Deputy Chief Army Nurse Corps, for their support. A special acknowledgment for the former
Chief, Medical Nursing Section, COL Vivian Harris, who remained a staunch supporter, advo-
cate, and cheerleader, the Medical Section nursing staff, and the Center for Nursing Science
and Clinical Inquiry.
Note: The view(s) expressed herein are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy
or position of Brooke Army Medical Center, the U.S. Army Medical Department, the U.S. Army
Office of the Surgeon General, the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S.
Government.
Implementation of an Evidence-Based
Patient Safety Team to Prevent Falls
in Inpatient Medical Units
T
he Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services identified
falls as a preventable health
care acquired condition (DuPree,
Fritz-Campiz, & Musheno, 2014). A
large portion of the medical-surgical
inpatient population is aging, and
therefore at high risk for falls (Boltz,
Capezuti, Wagner, Rosen berg, &
Secic, 2013). Falls have physical and
emotional implications for patients,
as well as increased financial costs for
facilities. Nationally, medical units
have the highest rates of falls
(Bouldin et al., 2013). Most notably,
falls can cause significant injuries
resulting in increased length of stay,
unexpected surgeries, and even death
(Williams, Szekendi, & Thomas,
2014). Historically medical-surgical
nurses care for a mix of complex
patients with an array of comorbidi-
ties and patient needs (Carter &
Burnette, 2011).
Literature Review
The literature search was limited
to keyword searches on falls, team-
work, patient safety, nursing, hourly
rounding, and communication. Data -
bases included PubMed, EBSCO,
Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality, CINAHL, and The Joint
Commission for years 2008-2014.
Use of fall prevention teams was an
emerging evidence-based practice
(EBP) intervention to decrease the
incidence of inpatient falls (Graham,
2012). Consistently, the evidence
demonstrated ineffective communi-
cation, situation awareness, team-
work, assessment, hourly rounding,
and environmental challenges as key
factors related to preventable inpa-
tient falls.
Collectively, research.
1. Suzanne R Anders, MHI, RN, CPHQ
450 North Wilson Avenue
Pasadena, California 91106
520.661.9370
suzanders@gainbroadband.com
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
HealthServicesAdvisory Group Inc. (HSAG1) August 2011 to June 2015
ProgramDirector, California, HospitalPatientSafety
Hospital Patient Safety Directorwith California’s Medicare Quality ImprovementOrganization (QIO). A creative
problem solver experienced with developing, implementing and sustaining improvements in multiple hospitals at
the same time. Demonstrates exceptional knowledge andabilities in application of guidelines andregulations for
the Centers forMedicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) andthe Joint Commission. Able tooperationalize plans for
improving scoreswith hospital value-based purchasing(HVBP),healthcareacquiredconditions(HACs) and
National Patient Safety Goals. Techniques andstrategies used forimprovement included,but wherenot limited
to; team facilitation, root causeanalysis (RCA),processmapping,plan-do-study-act(PDSA),triggertools,
failure-effect-mode-analysis (FMEA) andsituation-background-assessment-recommendationcommunication
tools.
Key Achievements:
Reduced collaborative catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) standardized infection ratio from 1.6 to
0.9 over an 18-month period for 28 hospitals. Hospitals were able to decrease and sustain zero CAUTI rates for at
least a six-months.
Instructed over 100 Infection Preventionists (IPs) in California on their role and ability to positively influence HAIs
and HAC scores.
Developed and implemented processes for hospitals to identify and correct performance deficiencies. During the
pilot project, Performance Improvement Directors, Chief Nursing Officers, Infection Preventionists from 18
hospitals participated in the learning and action sessions.
Createdforms to assist hospitals to complete gap analysis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
adopted segments of the form during the Targeted Assessment for Prevention (TAP) pilot project.
Identified the bedside clinician’s lack of understanding about “why” new forms and documents regarding infection
prevention were implemented. Over a six-month period instructed over 2000 clinicians on the use of bundles and
direct observation to reduce HAIs. Assisted hospital teams with implementing processes resulting in reduced
CAUTI rates.
Developed and implemented process for hospitals to ensure inter-rater reliability while abstracting data for the
National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN).
Designed a series of reminder posters to serve as educational tools about the care of Clostridium-difficile patients
The posters entitled, “What’s Wrong With This Picture”, challenge the viewer to identify the errors in the picture.
Participated on the writing team for submission of the successful technical proposal sent to CMS.
Served as a member on the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) HAI Advisory Committee. Actively
participated on sub-committee charged with developing state HAI plan.
1 Health ServicesAdvisory Group Inc. isthelargest QIO inthenation serving 25 percent of the nation’sMedicarepopulation, 45 percentof theMedicaid
population and19 percent ofthedialysispopulationinArizona, California, Florida, Ohio and theVirgin Islands.
2. HealthServicesAdvisory Group Inc. (HSAG) July 1998 to August 2011
Clinical Quality Specialist
Responsible for ensuring recruited hospitals were successful with efforts to improve surgical care (SCIP) and core measures
(acute myocardial infarctions, pneumonia and heart failure). Educated hospital team members about core measure
abstraction. Provided validation on abstracted records. Conducted root cause analysis (RCAs) on greater than expected
mortality rates, consulted on improvement plans, and supervised progress with improvement efforts. Served as a team
member on pilot projects, tobacco cessation counseling, adopting core measures (3 state pilot program prior to national
implementation),and implementation of a Deep Vein Thrombosis ( DVT) assessment process on admission.
KeyAchievements:
Guided six hospitals simultaneously through a rapid cycle of change process. In eight weeks, all six hospitals moved
their SCIP scores from below the national rate to rates in the 99th percentile.
Facilitated CMS pilot project in Arizona for adoption of core measure abstraction process. Provided feedback to
CMS regarding hospital’s improvement personnel perception and opinions of abstraction process and reporting
website.
Northwest Hospitaland MedicalCenter September 2002 toAugust 2011
Peri-operative bedside clinicianandcharge nurse
Clinical position assisting patients prepare for surgery and post-operative recovery. Assisted with unit preparation for Joint
Commission Surveys.
KeyAchievements:
Chosen as one of Tucson’s Top Fifty Nurses in 2008. Nominated by peers, professional colleagues and patients for
having made contributions to nursing.
LICENSES, TRAININGS, AND CERTIFICATIONS
Licenses Certifications Training
Registered Nurse -
California
Certified Professional
Healthcare Quality
(CPHQ)
LEAN
Project Management
Registered Nurse -
Arizona
TeamSTEPPS Master
Trainer
Knowledge Management
National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)
Patient Safety Improvement Corp (PSIC)
Crucial Conversations
Influencer
Human Factors
EDUCATION
Masters of Healthcare Innovation (MHI), 2009,Arizona State University
Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, (BSBA), 1988, University of Phoenix
Diploma, Nursing, 1977,Springfield and Clark County(Ohio) School of Nursing
