October 2025 Newsletter

In the News This Month

Greetings Everyone,

In healthcare, clarity can be the difference between chaos and control. Therefore, Plain Language, communication that is easily understood the first time it is seen or heard, is increasingly recognized as essential in emergency preparedness. Our article, “Enhancing Emergency Communication in Healthcare: The Case for Plain Language Alerts,” written by Teri Reinhartsen, Associate Consultant, highlights why plain language is vital in healthcare organizations while providing important tips for how to implement Plain Language protocol.

Considering the recent adverse MRI events that have been in the newspapers, it is essential to remember that an MRI can cause injury and death if safety principles are not put in place and followed. Denise Smith, Head of Consulting and Senior Consultant’s article “MRI Safety” provides an in-depth outline for safety guidelines to follow when working with an MRI to prevent harm to patients, staff, and visitors.

Thank you for taking the time to read our articles. We hope this information is helpful in assisting you with accreditation and regulatory compliance needs. For future topics or should you require our services, please reach out to us at info@courtemanche-assocs.com. Our team is always available and eager to assist you in any way we can.

The Author

Teri Reinhartsen is an Associate Consultant with Courtemanche and Associates with 30 years of clinical and leadership experience working in varying healthcare positions from the bedside to the Boardroom. In this role, she is responsible for assessing healthcare organizations’ readiness for licensing, accreditation, and regulatory compliance, and 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. She assists organizations with post-survey activitieseducation, patient safety strategies, and quality improvement initiatives and has experience in various health care settings including acute care, behavioral health, and ambulatory care settings. Throughout her career, Teri has held a variety of Patient Safety, Risk Management and Regulatory Compliance leadership positions for several large healthcare systems. These experiences provided her with a wealth of knowledge in these areas as well as Root Cause Analysis and High Reliability Concepts. Teri has been the lead on mock surveys where she has worked and conducted educational programs related to her areas of expertise. She has also participated in and assisted in DOH/CMS investigations.  Clinically, Teri has expertise in the Peri Operative area.

Teri Reinhartsen, Associate Consultant with Courtemanche & Associates
MRI Technician with patient getting an MRI

MRI Safety

The Author

Denise Smith, RN, BS, MS, CLNC, HACP-CMS

Denise Smith is Head of Consulting & 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.

Denise Smith, Head of Consulting and Senior Consultant
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C&A is a division of SAYAS Alliance. Through our sister company Medical Resources Network, we also offer a range of legal nurse consulting services, including medical record review and analysis, medical chronologies, peer review, retention of medical experts, and adverse event and call center management. Learn more.

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The Joint Commission® is a registered trademark of Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Courtemanche & Associates has no affiliation with this entity.

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