RN, MBA, EdD, HACP
Dr. Christiansen is a Senior Consultant with Courtemanche and Associates. In this role, she assists organization with accreditation and regulatory requirements with specific emphasis on The Joint Commission (TJC) standards and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Conditions of Participation (COP). With more than 35 years of nursing, medical, healthcare management and regulatory leadership experience, Dr. Christiansen is a strong patient and healthcare advocate for enhancing healthcare through weaving regulatory compliance into an organization’s culture. Dr. Christiansen has been trained in The Joint Commission’s Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals, Home Care, Ambulatory, and Behavioral Health as well as Disease-Specific Certification.
Prior to joining the Courtemanche & Associates team, Dr. Christiansen served as the Executive Director of Accreditation and Certification Services for The Joint Commission. In her thirteen years with TJC she also served in the roles of Director of Standards Interpretation and The Office of Quality Monitoring, Associate Director for Hospital Surveyors, Associate Director for Long-Term Care Surveyors, and surveyor. Most recently, Dr. Christiansen served on key committees with internal staff and external customers for the TJC Standards Improvement Initiative and supported accredited organizations and those seeking accreditation in the pre-survey, intra-survey, and post-survey processes. Her responsibilities also included business development for the hospital and critical access hospital programs.
Before joining TJC she held various leadership, development, and consulting positions in administration and operations as well as clinical and nursing leadership positions in hospitals, rehabilitation, sub-acute care, and long-term care. Dr. Christiansen holds membership in the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ), and the American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA). In addition, Dr. Christiansen has achieved the designation of Healthcare Accreditation Certified Professional awarded by the Center for Improvement in Healthcare Quality.
Dr. Christiansen’s educational background includes a post-graduate certificate in long-term care management/administration from the University of Illinois School of Public Health, a master’s degree in business administration in finance/health care administration from George Williams College, a bachelor of science degree from the College of St. Francis, and a nursing diploma from Evangelical School of Nursing. She received her doctoral degree, with a focus on ethical leadership, from Olivet Nazarene University.