In the News This Month
Greetings everyone and welcome summer!
We hope you will enjoy your time with family and friends. However, while June is considered the beginning of several months of vacation and relaxation it is also recognized as national safety month. Therefore, our articles this month will touch upon two very different but important areas for improvement we see organizations struggle with in the field.
The use of chemical agents in healthcare organizations is essential to ensure effective disinfection and sterilization. However, safe handling, storage and use practices that are designed to safeguard staff and their patients are often not a top priority for healthcare organizations who are challenged with addressing the complexities of patient care. Chris Pratt’s article, “Safe Handling Practices for Hazardous Chemicals” outlines procedures to follow to ensure safety when reviewing your plan for hazardous chemical use.
Another hot topic is focused and ongoing practitioner performance evaluations. FPPE and OPPE are important components of the medical staff process for granting and maintaining practice privileges in a healthcare organization. A robust, meaningful program is essential to an organization’s quality and patient safety programs. Denise Smith’s article, “FPPE-OPPE, Lessons Learned,” reviews what these two components mean, the difference between the two, and what to consider when developing a robust program.
We hope you find these articles informative and helpful in assisting you with your ongoing regulatory readiness. Please feel free to reach out to us at info@courtemanche-assocs.com with any topics you would like to see featured or for any service needs you may have.
Safe Handling Practices for Hazardous Chemicals
About the Authors
Christopher Pratt, MS, BSN, HACP
Chris Pratt is a Senior Consultant with Courtemanche and Associates with more than 33 years in clinical and leadership experience working in varying healthcare positions from the bedside to the Boardroom. In this role, he is responsible for assessing healthcare organizations’ readiness for licensing, accreditation, and regulatory compliance. He is trained in the survey process, auditing approach and survey outcome determination utilized by The Joint Commission, DNV, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and other regulatory agencies and accrediting organizations. He assists organizations with post-survey activities, education, patient safety strategies, and quality improvement initiatives and has experience in various health care settings including acute care, behavioral health, and ambulatory care settings.

FPPE – OPPE: Lessons Learned
About the Authors
Denise Smith, RN, MSN, CLNC, HACP
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.
Clinically, Denise is a licensed Registered Nurse with an extensive background in Infection Prevention and Control for perioperative settings, sterile processing, and quality management. Additionally, she has served as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant and has aided organizations for EMTALA, Medical-Surgical and Health Care Administration areas of concern.

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