restorARTively

In the Sept/Oct issue of the industry publication, "Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare , the founder and president of the Pennsylvania based Institute for Safe Medication Practices wrote an astonishingly biased editorial on the prosecution of a pharmacist in the wake of the preventable death of two year old Emily Jerry. Read her mother's testimony to the Ohio State Pharmacy Board here. Mr. Cohen acknowledges speaking to a variety of stakeholders in the case and reading transcripts and records as research for his article. He acknowledges her mother's (Kelly Jerry) impactful testimony. He never mentions reaching out to her, her attorneys, or her nonprofit healthcare safety organization (offers education to providers) to gather information for full coverage of the topic he states, is "an injustice of throwing healthcare professionals who make mistakes - even deadly mistakes - into the criminal arena when their errors were unintentional, caused by system failures...

"These are very complex issues, but it is really all about relationships." ~Madeline Albright , first female United States Secretary of State Whether international relations, law building or health care delivery it is all about the relationships. Not only the relationships between insurance companies and the insured, but also between insurance companies and the uninsured, between physicians, between physicians and nurses, between risk managers and the patients who walk through the door. Some of these entities never cross paths in person but they have a direct impact on each other's choices an decisions in medical care. My youngest son spent a full week in the NICU before coming home. The twenty four hour access to their new babies that parents are offered on 8 Ravdin at The University of Pennsylvania NICU allows relationships to be built. Relationships are built between parents and the clinicians, parents and other parents, and especially between parents and their n...

PRESS RELEASE - September 22, 2009 Patient safety advocate publishes true story as foundation for a new collaborative in Pennsylvania pediatric patient safety. Local mom, teacher, and patient safety advocate Mary Ellen Mannix, MRPE announces the formation of a new web-based pediatric patient safety collaborative devoted to bringing parents and families of children with health care diagnosis into the patient safety conversation through awareness, education, and open communication. Many children with a primary diagnosis also suffer from a secondary diagnosis as well. Mannix's new nonfiction book, "Split the Baby", serves as the launchpad for this important endeavor for Pennsylvania parents. The website, www.splitthebaby.com , includes links to multiple pediatric disease specific organizations, free membership, tool kits for parents, fact sheets, an email newsletter and email alerts. Wayne PA September 22, 2009 — A month after 9/11/01, James Mannix was an otherwise healthy...

There has been a lot of direction from health care providers to patients in the past ten years since the release of the infamous Institute of Medicine report. I thought perhaps the providers and physicians could use some simple suggestions and requests from the patients to encourage safe care. What do you suggest for changes, deletions and additions? #1. Speak up! The most well-known and respected health care safety organizations ( AHRQ , IHI , TJC , NPSF , NQF , CAPS, WHO Alliance for Patient Safety) all agree that communication is the key element in successful outcomes. As a health care provider you are a key participant in the treatment team. If you see or hear that care being provided to a patient falls below the current standards, is at risk, risky, or questionable your willingness to speak up may have a direct impact on the outcome of care. #2. Maintain Accurate Medication & Treatment Records! As a health care provider, you must take responsibility for drafting and maintainin...

The first question at Congessman Joe Sestak's Town Hall last night came from a man whose father was preventably injured by treatments at the VA hospital similiar to those that made the headlines a month ago in Philadelphia's VA Hospital. He and his family have not been able to find any resolution, compensation for his injuries, or assurances that improvements will be made to protect ailing consumers. His question: "I understand you are not for tort reform....but how will anyone get a fair day in court when the provider is the government [public option]." The congressman gave a full explanation to how the military works in those situations. He also added that he does not feel the government should not be in the business of deciding how much a person's life or another person's pain and suffering is worth (i.e, "caps"). The shouting out and interrupting from the audience had begun. Sitting directly behind this gentleman, I asked the next question: After...