Patient Safety Week will take place next week, but I wanted to share this post a little early so you can start thinking about how you protect your safety when you enter the healthcare system. Whether you are a patient, a family member, or a healthcare professional,...
I am excited to share my latest publication, The 2021 Special Report: Stepping Up to Certification. This Report is an updated version of the 2018 Report. I originally wrote this Report because I wanted to have a document to send to those looking to Step Up to...
I have been working with a patient who has a history of chronic back pain. Recently she has had an exacerbation that left her in severe pain that has her searching for relief. Before I became involved, she told me she had gone to various emergency departments and...
Over the past few months, I have had to miss many families and friends’ events. Babies have been born, friends have died, holidays have come on gone. As a person at risk for COVID-19, my husband and I have tried to be careful and follow the guidelines; wear a...
I am sure you have heard the recorded message when you call your insurance company, your bank or other service provider – “This call is being recorded and may be used for quality purposes.” Most of us dismiss the message as we just want to talk to someone about...
As a nurse leader, a case manager and a nurse advocate I strive to be a good communicator, a networker and skilled at resource management. 2020 put us all into isolation and shut down travel, conference, and onsite meetings that allowed us to meet vendors, colleagues,...
A new year is before us and we each have the opportunity to write a new chapter in our lives. Today there are questions to be asked, opportunities to be explored and moments to be embraced. I hope you are excited for the opportunities and adventures we will discover...
2020 was a year like no other. Here’s to a turning point, a new beginning, a safer time, a time when we are kinder and supportive of each other. A Happy and Safe New Years to you and your families.
2020 was nothing like the year I expected when I wrote the last Blog Post of 2019. I met most of my goals but had to modify many due to the impact of COVID 19. As I look back at 2020, I am most grateful that my husband, family, and friends have been able to stay...
Over the weekend, I had time to sit down and read a book a colleague of mine Mary Ellen Gervasis, recently published. The book is titled: The Role of Love in Building and Sustaining a Business. In her book, Mary Ellen talks about a company, InforMed, that she...
Six years ago today (November 24, 2014), I was diagnosed with a Brain Tumor. It was a total shock as I had no symptoms. Following the CAT Scan in the small community hospital near where I lived, I was admitted to the hospital to wait for the doctor to let me what he...
NOTE: I am re-posting a Blog Post from June 1, 2020 as it expresses where we are today and the mood I am in as a result. I updated some of the stats as some time has passed and they have changed. When I face challenges that I feel that I have no control over, I turn...
During these unprecedented times, when family and friends cannot go into a hospital to visit their loved ones or talk to the nurses, doctors, and therapists about their loved one, we have to rely on those professionals on the inside to keep the lines of communication...
In this week’s post, I wanted to share a project I have been working on. It revolves around the area of Patient Advocacy. Today, patient advocacy is an emerging field in healthcare. If you have been a patient or have had a family member or friend who is a...
COVID 19 is still raging, and it is unclear when we will move to our new normal. Two of the unintended consequence the pandemic has brought are communication challenges and social isolation. In this week’s post, I would like to offer some ideas to help address both....
It’s Case Management Week! In 1988 I transitioned from traditional nursing into an emerging role that was called ‘case management’. It was a bold step as I did not really know what it was, but I was told “I would be good at it”. What I learned over...
Today, people realize they need to stand up for what they want in healthcare. The challenge is that healthcare is complex, fragmented, political, and expensive. To assist consumers, national, state and local professional organizations are developing events to educate...
