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Quality contributions from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Kenneth Sands, MD, MPH
HMI’s programs and partnerships draw upon the wide breadth of knowledge and expertise among the faculty and staff at Harvard Medical School’s affiliated teaching hospitals. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has long been a notable example. Numerous doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, and administrators from that institution have made invaluable contributions to the HMI mission.
Two members of the BIDMC team have been instrumental in programs focused on quality improvement and patient safety: Kenneth Sands, MD, MPH, who is the Senior Vice President of Health Care Quality at the hospital, and Patricia Folcarelli, PhD, RN, Director of Professional Practice Development. Both have participated in numerous training sessions with HMI partners looking to raise the quality of care on the way to meeting global accreditation standards.For example, during a quality training visit to Sri Ramachandra Medical Center in India, Sands toured the facilities and urged the hospital’s leadership to formally develop a department to oversee quality and patient safety. Folcarelli has been a frequent contributor to HMI programs in the area of nursing professional development.
“My work with HMI partner institutions never fails to provide me with new energy and insight as to how I can make improvements at my own institution."
-- Dr. Kenneth Sands
Working closely with HMI Director Elizabeth Brown, RN, MSN, Folcarelli has advised HMI partners in India and Turkey on enhancing the role of nursing in the provision of patient-centered care. “It has been an honor for me to collaborate with the nurses in Turkey and India. We share a common desire to provide excellent care to our patients,” said Folcarelli. “It is encouraging to see that health system leaders are investing in the ongoing development of their nursing management as well as their clinical teams. These nurse leaders are key to creating an environment for safe, high-quality patient care and for ensuring staff and patient satisfaction.”
Patricia Folcarelli, PhD, RN
Both Sands and Folcarelli were featured speakers at HMI’s “World-Class Medicine” conference in September. There each drew upon their own work at BIDMC to give the health care professionals in attendance real-world insight into the challenges of assessing and managing clinical quality. In addition to discussing the nuts and bolts of developing and implementing quality improvement, Sands and Folcarelli conveyed the importance of creating an institutional culture in which the work of quality is embedded in the hospital’s core operating processes.
Said Sands, “My work with HMI partner institutions never fails to provide me with new energy and insight as to how I can make further improvements at my own institution. Each HMI partner is unique, but they all share a commitment to quality and a driving ambition to be the best in their area.“
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