What TakeCHARGE 2022 Means For Patient Advocates
There are many reasons why anyone interested in patient safety or advocacy should attend this year's PULSE TakeCHARGE Symposium on March 18 & 19. Here are three of them: First of all, the lineup of speakers is incredible and first class. Secondly, it's an amazing value- just 55 dollars if you don't need CE credits. Finally, because it's a PULSE program, the quality of the content is superior, resulting in a fast-moving, interactive, and engaging program.
PULSE founder Ilene Corina and her team have put in a ton of time, energy, and effort to make this year's symposium a premier event for everyone, because they know that patient safety will eventually be a part of everyone's lives.
Greater National Advocates is a proud sponsor this year's symposium because we believe in the PULSE mission and the TakeCHARGE campaign. We also believe it's important for advocates, patients, loved ones, clinicians, and caregivers to work together, share experiences, and improve their ability to help others when they need it most.
About Ilene Corina, the Founder of PULSE
Ilene Corina, BCPA is a leading national educator and campaigner for patient safety. Since 1996, she's been running PULSE and educating the public about patient safety. Her advocacy training empowers patients, families, and friends of patients, to partner with their health care providers to ensure the best possible outcomes in a person’s medical care.
Ilene felt empowered to do something to change the system that allowed her son and hundreds of thousands of other children, brothers and sisters, parents and friends,to die or be seriously injured due to the complexities of the healthcare system.
Like many advocates, Ilene didn't just wake up one day with a newfound passion for patient safety. For her, it was a family medical tragedy that opened her eyes. She lost a child because of a series of communication errors following an otherwise routine tonsillectomy in 1990.
Following the death of her young son, Ilene learned that medical errors were a serious problem in the United States. She attended medical conferences and threw herself into the ‘how and why’ of medical injury. Ilene felt empowered to do something to change the system that allowed her son and hundreds of thousands of other children, brothers and sisters, parents and friends,to die or be seriously injured due to the complexities of the healthcare system.
The Evolution and Growth of PULSE
Ilene started the Pulse Center for Patient Safety, Education and Advocacy as a local in-person support group for others who experienced medical harm.Throughout its 25-year history, PULSE evolved into a hub for resources and education where patients, families, laypeople, clinicians, and advocates exchange experiences and learn from each other. Pulse programs are a combination of guidance from national patient safety organizations and solutions garnered from stories shared by patients and families. Participants learn from each other in interactive community presentations and workshops with the support of Pulse trained facilitators.
About the 2022 TakeCHARGE Virtual Symposium
This year, PULSE kicks off the annual TakeCHARGE campaign with a virtual symposium featuring the 5 Steps. The cost for the 2 day event starts at just 55 dollars and all are welcome. For an added fee, those seeking CE credits get 10 BCPA CEs, 10 CEUs for NY State Social Workers, and 7 CEUs for CPHQs from The National Association of Healthcare Quality
Here's the Full Lineup of Speakers and Sessions:
Keynote What’s Driving Patient Safety Now, Martin J. Hatlie, JD
Rapid Response Systems: Their History and How They Work, Michael DeVita, MD
Living with Infection, Linda Kenney
Advocate Panel Discussion, L. Bradley Schwartz, Esq., Trisha Torrey, Cathy Bond, BCPA, and Caryn Isaacs
Medication Safety, Robin Moulder, Alyssa Cottone, and Jennifer L. Gold, RN
Talking with Your Doctor About COVID, Bruce E. Hirsch MD, FACP, AAHIVS Advance Directives Louis P. Voigt, MD, MBE
Advocates in Action, L. Bradley Schwartz, Esq., Michael E. Levine
Interpersonal Communication Versatility: Tailoring Communication Style to Improve Patient Outcomes Alyssa Cottone, MS
Get the MOLST Out of Your Healthcare, Dianne M. Zambori, RN — BC, NE — BC, CCB, MBA, BSN, LNHA, FACHE
Lots and lots of Networking and Sharing of Ideas, All attendees
Here's A Sampling of Featured Speakers and Presentations:
Keynote: Martin Hatlie, JD:
Fri. Mar 18, 2022 at 12:10 PM — 1:10 PM (EST)
This is the short version of Marty Hatlie’s impressive resume. You can read the long version here. He’s CEO of Patients for Patient Safety, a part of the World Health Organization’s Patient Safety Programme and Project Patient Care, a non-profit that uses the voice of the patient to improve care. He’s an experienced civil rights and defense litigator, lobbyist for the American Medical Association and member of Harvard Kennedy School’s Executive Session on Medical Error. He serves on numerous boards and advisory boards including AHRQ, Joint Commission, Leapfrog Group, and countless Patient Safety, Tort Reform, and Health Care Liability organizations. He also is Co-Director of the MedStar Institute for Quality and Safety and an author of many patient safety articles, books, treatises, and papers,
Martin J. Hatlie, JD will give his presentation on the twenty-five-year history of patient safety and what he sees as improvements made, as well as what the future holds for us all. He will review the World Health Organization’s Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021-30 and the roles advocates, patients, and family members can play in helping achieve it. His objectives are: Provide participants get a better understanding of the history of the modern patient safety movement, examine the data and policy vectors now driving safer care for patients and the health workforce, and offer tools and ideas for advocates, patients, and their families to help move the WHO Global Patient Safety Action Plan.
Advocate Panel Discussion:
This is a panel discussion with leaders who support the growth of the patient advocacy industry. This presentation will take us through the journeys of these nationally recognized figures and answer questions about their paths to becoming advocates for the best possible medical care and treatment for others.
Fri. Mar 18, 2022 at 4:00 PM — 5:00 PM (EST)
Cathy Bond had been an unpaid advocate for 20 years, helping, speaking up for, and finding resources for her mother, neighbors, and church family. She was going to medical appointments, asking questions and using the teach back method even before she even knew it had a name. It was when she was researching an alternative option for a neighbor's medical diagnosis and her father in-law's placement in a nursing facility that it dawned on her that she was a Patient Advocate.Now, years later, Cathy realizes just how important those early advocacy years were. The medical industry is even more complex and confusing, and her on-the-job and ongoing training enables her to provide quality services for her clients.
L. Bradley Schwartz is the founder and president of Greater National Advocates (GNA), a national public service organization dedicated to promoting Independent Patient Advocacy to the public. He is a practicing attorney and a survivor of medical error. Mr. Schwartz served on the Boards of Directors of The National Association of Healthcare Advocacy Consultants (NAHAC) and The Patient Advocacy Credentialing Board (PACB).
Trisha Torry is known as Every Patient’s Advocate. Her work is focused on helping patients become the drivers of their own care, often connecting them to patient advocates when they are unable to effectively or safely navigate the system themselves
Caryn Isaacs, Board-Certified Patient Advocate, finds ways for Aging Icons to continue their life's mission. Her clients are people who plan to live life to its fullest regardless of physical limitations. Caryn is a unique resource for older adults who do not have anyone to help them to accomplish their preferred lifestyle going forward, Solo-Agers
Advocates in Action: Patient Advocates and Plaintiff's Attorneys...A Success Story
Sat. Mar 19, 2022 at 3:05 PM — 4:05 PM
Moderated by Ilene Corina, the session features the participants in a success story that was recently published in this this GNA blog post.
Representing clients with ongoing medical needs in medical injury cases can be very complex and involve many moving parts. Medical malpractice clients have been let down by the health care system and are looking to ensure they get the care they need as well as the justice they deserve. L. Bradley Schwartz and Michael Levine have successfully integrated patient advocacy and litigation resulting in far better outcomes for the client…
The case illustrates how a team made up of both advocates and lawyers were able to come together and make a huge difference in the life of a patient who had no one else to turn to for help. “This could have ended up far worse without this team who essentially became her family,” Said Fox when talking about the importance of collaboration between fields.
Cathy F. Bowers, BCPA, CP, CSA, MSA, NCG, founder and president of National Patient Advocate, Inc. works with patients and other individuals to navigate through the healthcare system, to advocate on their behalf, and to create personalized plans for the tough challenges that frequently accompany an illness.
Michael L. Levine, is an attorney and shareholder with Stewart Tilghman Fox Bianchi & Cain where he represents people and families across Florida in catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. Michael has successfully handled cases involving medical malpractice, products liability, dram shop, and premises liability. Prior to joining the firm, Michael was a law clerk to United States District Court Judge Paul C. Huck.
L. Bradley Schwartz is the founder and president of Greater National Advocates (www.GNANOW.ORG), a national public service organization dedicated to promoting Independent Patient Advocacy to the public. He is a practicing attorney and a survivor of medical error. Mr. Schwartz served on the Boards of Directors of The National Association of Healthcare Advocacy Consultants (NAHAC) and The Patient Advocacy Credentialing Board (PACB).
Avrom «Avi» Fox is a Chicagp patient advocate who is skilled at communicating with medical professionals, health insurance companies, home health providers, mental health facilities, and nursing homes. He has extensive experience in advocating and supporting people and families who are challenged with psychiatric issues, and behavioral and mental disorders. This includes inpatient support, residential programs, and outpatient support.
Here's a Sampling of the Many Free Programs Offered by PULSE:
People For Patient Safety
PPS (People for Patient Safety) was founded in 2014 as a way for health care professionals, caregivers, and community members to share helpful information about patient safety. Participants learn to become more knowledgeable about safe care and best practices. PPS includes members of the healthcare workforce, patient advocates, caregivers, and community members who have experience with the health care system and want to help empower others to navigate the healthcare system for safe, quality care.
Patient Activation Through Community Conversations
The Patient Activation through Community Conversations (PACC) program is about being a patient and using the healthcare system. During online PACC meetings, people share experiences and choose what they want to talk about. It's not a support group but many attendees find support. Topics change each month and attendees bring their own topic suggestions. Meetings are the first of each month.
ACES — The Advocates Collaborative Educational Series
The latest programming addition to the PULSE series is ACES- The Advocates Collaborative Educational Series Created and hosted by David Fielding, The ACES program is an hour long monthly Zoom meeting that begins with a presentation by a featured expert followed by guided group discussion and Q&A. Patient advocates, regardless of background or training, share knowledge, experience and resources to improve the effectiveness of all persons who serve others as patient advocates.
The TakeCHARGE! Campaign
Finally, the most adventurous and visionary of all PULSE programs- and the one I am inviting you to today- is the TakeCHARGE; 5 Steps to Safer Health Care Campaign. TakeCHARGE is an annual public awareness campaign designed to improve patient safety by encouraging everyone, including patients, families, advocates, and health providers to learn and follow these 5 simple steps:
1. Understand & Complete Your Advance Directives
2. Keep a Record of Your Medical History & Current Medications
3. Prepare for Doctor Visits / Make A List of Questions
4. Prevent Infections / Ask Caregivers to Wash Their Hands
5. Use an Advocate / Be an Advocate for Others
The PULSE TakeCHARGE Campaign kicks-off during Patient Safety Awareness Week (during the second week of March each year) and concludes on International Patient Safety Day on September 17th. Each month from April through August, the campaign produces content, engages stakeholders, and educates the public on one of the five steps