by Gwen O’Keefe, MD, FACP | Principal, GO Healthcare Strategy Imagine you’ve just spent a harrowing 4 days in the hospital with sudden onset of heart problems, had many tests, and are sent home with multiple appointments and new medications. The conversations with hospital staff passed in a blur. You don’t understand what the results of…

by Kit Hoffman, PsyD | BESIDE Program Coach, Confluence Health In the year 2000, a physician named Albert Wu coined the term “second victim” to describe the experience of physicians, and other medical care providers, who make a medical mistake. The patient, of course, is the first victim of a medical mistake. The medical care provider,…

by Karen M. Markwith RN, MJ, CPHRM, CHPS | Director of Quality and Patient Safety, Virginia Mason In our January 2018 strategic planning session, diagnostic error rose to the top of the discussion and became one of the two key areas we voted to devote WPSC efforts to this year, the other being patient safety…

  by Anita Sulaiman, Founding Consultant & Trainer IBEX | Inter-Cultural Business Excellence If you have ever been in a situation where you do not speak the language of the land and cannot understand or make yourself understood, you know what it is like to face a language barrier. Imagine needing medical attention in that environment….

  Organization: Confluence Health Project Name/ Title: CRP Point of Contact: Randal Moseley, MD, FACP, FHM, Medical Director of Quality | randal.moseley@confluencehealth.org About Confluence Health Confluence Health is an integrated healthcare delivery system located in North Central Washington. We serve a population of about 250,000 dispersed over 12,000 square miles. Our resources include two hospitals, 13 clinic…

by Emily Wittenhagen Organization: WSMA Project Name/ Title: Honoring Choices Pacific Northwest Point of Contact: Jessica Martinson, jessica@wsma.org I was happy recently to sit down for a talk with Jessica Martinson, ‎the Director of Clinical Education and Professional Development at the Washington State Medical Association, known to many in our state as WSMA (pronounced wizma). ABOUT…

  by David Allison, CPHRM, System Patient Safety Director, PeaceHealth As those who work in them know well, running a rural healthcare facility can pose unique challenges. Transitions of care such as helicopter transfers and pathways to access are of extra importance, with long distances and waterways separating patients from treatment centers. Critical access hospitals,…

by Jacqueline Valentine, Director of Patient Safety,  Seattle Children’s A behind-the-scenes look at what one hospital has done to turn tragedy into an ambitious opportunity to build a stronger base of safety culture into their organization with the goal of zero preventable harm. About Seattle Children’s Seattle Children’s is an independent children’s hospital founded over 100…

by Elena Madrid, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Washington Health Care Association How can a state organization help promote patient safety for elderly communities? Elena Madrid shares her experiences from inside the WHCA and the work they do to sustain quality in these indispensable facilities. About the WHCA The Washington Health Care Association (WHCA) is a…

  by Sharon Eloranta, Medical Director, Quality and Safety Initiatives, Qualis Health At Qualis Health, we are working to decrease healthcare associated infections (HAIs) in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and outpatient/ambulatory surgery centers. Healthcare associated infections are relatively rare, but can be devastating to patients and families and costly for the healthcare system and payers. It is…