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KARIN JANINE BERNTSEN, RN, BSN

Author: The Patient’s Guide to Preventing Medical Errors – Praeger Publishing, Westport CT

Phone: (619) 302-9764

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AUTHOR - Legal Consultant - Speaker

The Patient’s Guide to Preventing Medical Errors

Authored this book with the intent to help the consumer learn about the current perils of medical errors and to help the patient gain knowledge so that they can actively work with their clinicians to promote safety and help to prevent errors. The book focuses on the multi-layered system vulnerabilities. As well, the book shares actual stories about medical errors. Research involved patient safety, data analysis, quality, regulatory, legal and malpractice topics. The book recommends the creation of a partnership between the consumers and health care leaders to compel steps toward medical error solutions. The book calls for the immediate establishment of a children’s medical error prevention foundation and the creation of a “Consumer Reports” on hospital medical error ratings and prevention. The book was released in November 2004 - Praeger Publishing Group, Westport CT. Copyright 2004. In addition, the author founded and is president of PreventingMedicalErrors.com. (PME) PME is an organization committed to promoting patient-professional relationships to reduce medical errors. Speaking and consultation on the book topics is done through PME. March 2003 – Present

EXECUTIVE/MANAGEMENT/NURSING EXPERIENCE:

DIRECTOR OF NURSING

Oversee 238 nursing personnel and 170 medically complex long term patients including, spinal cord/brain injury, Huntington’s Disease, post stroke rehab, HIV, MS. Responsibilities include oversight for direct patient care, staffing, care planning, quality analysis and improvement, nursing quality improvement, education and infection control. Leadership for Department of Health Services Surveys and Reports, Title 22 and CAL/OSHA compliance.

VICE PRESIDENT QUALITY IMPROVEMENT & PATIENT SAFETY (Total time at Sharp Healthcare was 13 years, 1990-2003)

Lead quality improvement, patient safety program, disease management, infection control and policy and procedure initiatives for four acute care and three specialty hospitals. Responsibilities include oversight for strategic planning, implementation, fiscal accountability, leadership for quality, JCAHO, Title 22, DHS, regulatory, disease management and implementation of improvements in patient clinical and cost indicators. Lead safe medical practice initiatives for the healthcare system. Sharp HealthCare, San Diego, CA June 2000 – April 2003

DIRECTOR, PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT & PHYSICIAN SERVICES

Promoted into this position from the below responsibilities. Additional oversight responsibilities for the following departments include Medical Staff, Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Medical Library. Continued to assume all responsibilities listed below in the Quality Management position. Member of the Grossmont Hospital Senior Management Team. Grossmont Hospital - Sharp HealthCare, San Diego, CA May 99 – June 2000

QUALITY MANAGER. Management of Grossmont Hospital Quality Department and multi-hospital responsibility for quality variance tracking data (Risk Management). Responsibilities include planning, development and implementation of hospital wide quality, provides quality improvement leadership in a consultant role for Sharp System areas. Managerial responsibilities and oversight of department’s budgets, quality and risk management staff. Oversight of medical staff clinical peer review. Promoted the development and evaluation of the Medical Staff, Hospital and National quality indicators, system quality plan, quality events, MIDAS software system, statistical reports and data analysis. Grossmont Hospital - Sharp HealthCare, San Diego, CA August 94 – May 99

TELEMETRY UNIT MANAGER. Managed 50-bed telemetry unit. Responsibilities included oversight of patient care including: post CABG/Valve/Cardiac surgery, PTCA, diagnostic studies and other cardiac patients. Managed 70 FTE's and oversight for unit's budget. In position six weeks and was offered this Telemetry Manager and Quality Manager position during system reorganization. Accepted the Quality Manager position.

EMERGENCY CARDIOVASCULAR COORDINATOR. Coordinated the Emergency Chest Pain Center. Development of the five Sharp HealthCare Hospital Chest Pain Centers. Responsibilities included overseeing patient care, statistical analysis, Q.A., planning, implementation and evaluation of program operations. Grossmont Hospital - Sharp HealthCare, San Diego, California. January 1992 - August 94

CALIFORNIA STATE PROGRAM NURSE EDUCATOR. Provided professional education, hospital affiliation training, coordinated multidisciplinary symposiums, developed education materials, assisted in program development, marketing and coordinated San Diego and Imperial Counties regional data collection. State of California, Diabetes & Pregnancy Program, Maternal Child Health Branch of Department of Health Services. San Diego, California. January 1989 - October 1993

MOBILE INTENSIVE CARE/EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT CLINICAL NURSE 4. Provided primary patient care to he emergent patient. Oversight of multiple paramedic units through radio supervision via base station hospital. Grossmont Hospital, San Diego, California. October 1990 - January 1992

PARAMEDIC. Provided emergency trauma, cardiac and advanced life support and treatment on a mobile intensive care unit. Assisted in the development of the first county EMS system for the State of Florida. Santa Rosa County Emergency Medical Services, Milton, Florida. 1977 - 1981

Bachelors of Science of Nursing, California State University, Dominquez Hills, Fall 1991

Multiple computer classes including quality database, MIDAS, MEDai, IDX web design, power point, excel.

Associate in Applied Science in Nursing, Harper College, Palatine, Illinois - 1983

Grossmont Hospital’s CME program received Commendation with the maximum 4-year accreditation, November 1999

Grossmont Hospital’s CME Program was the recipient of the California Medical Association’s (CMA) Samuel

The California Medical Review Inc. (CMRI) granted special recognition to the CME program for linking CME and Quality Improvement.

PORTFOLIO

Networking of California Hospitals to promote patient safety practices and research in safety promotion.

Promote community wide initiatives to share safety data and improve safety practices

Development of a National Windows Software Data Base for Acute MI. National Task Force. San Francisco, CA. June 1998 – October 2000.

Consultant for the software and clinical development of a national windows product for hospital data collection and analysis.

Registry Coordinator for National Registry of Myocardial Infarction. 1992 - October 2000

Development of data extraction, coordination, analysis and education of the NRMI national registry NRMI 1 through NRMI 3.

Provide education on the management and treatment of Acute Myocardial Infarction and Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Piloted the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction (NRMI-2) Diskette Service.

Sole national pilot for alpha testing computer diskette data analysis and report program. Clintrials Research National Data Committee 1996, 1997

Served on the Committee for the development of National Reports (1500 hospitals) for Acute Myocardial Infarction. RESPONSIBILITIES:

Worked with multidisciplinary health care professionals to develop Hospital, State and National data reports.

Served on the State of California Diabetes and Pregnancy Program Executive Board.

Eight members, decision making board, facilitating communication and coordination of statewide CDAPP programs reporting directly to the Chief Nurse Consultant for Maternal and Child Health Branch (MCH) of the State of California Department of Health Services.

Served as the State representative for the California Diabetes and Pregnancy Program Nurse Educators.

Coordinated communication, chair statewide nurse educator meetings, plan yearly goals and report directly to the CDAPP State Steering Committee.

Chairman, Board of Directors, San Diego Pregnancy Services Chair: May 1990 - May 1992.

Oversight of nine-member community board of directors and executive director for a multi-center social services agency. Program development, financial management, policy setting, networking and community marketing.

Coordinated the Sharp HealthCare Quality Symposium – 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998

Stanford Patient Safety Culture Survey Oct 2002 – Sharp HealthCare Quality Symposium

Stanford Patient Safety Culture Survey Nov 2002 San Diego Center for Patient Safety General Meeting

Developed content and present weekly for the New Employee Orientation on Quality and Patient Safety June 02-ongoing, Trained over 1500 new employees

Performance Improvement Techniques and Program for Managers and Leads. November 2001, October 2001 April 2001

Corporate Presentation of the Sharp HealhCare Quality Program to JCAHO Surveyors. March 2000

Medical Executive Leadership Conferences, Performance Improvement and Peer Review. January 2000, January 1999

CQI Tools and Methods and Quality Variance Report Process. Sharp HealthCare Quality Symposium. May

Pathology and Treatment Modalities for Acute Ischemic Stroke, Acute MI and Pulmonary Embolism

NRMI-3 Coordinators Training. Conducted half-day workshop for new registry coordinators on data collection, methodology and interpretation. Multiple presentations 1995 -1999

JCAHO Corporate Presentation for Cardiac Services. Presented overview of Sharp HealthCare (six hospital healthcare system) Cardiac Services to hospital CEO's and upper management teams. San Diego, CA. March 1997

NRMI-2 National Investigators Conference. Presented systemwide hospital comparisons of NRMI-2 data. San Diego, CA. May 1996

NRMI-2 Investigators Conference Presented systemwide hospital comparisons of NRMI-2 data. Pasadena, California. July 1995

Kyle Swiser Cardiac Symposium - First National Symposium of Chest Pain Centers, Chair Raymond Bahr, M.D.

"Systems Integration of Chest Pain Centers and Marketing Approaches in a Managed Care Environment". Baltimore MA, October 1994

Designing multiple hospital Chest Pain Centers including planning, implementation, evaluation and systemwide integration. June 1994

Coordinated one-day symposium on the management of Acute MI and presented lecture on Acute MI clinical pathway. February 1994

Organized and instructed a 2-hour didactic and clinical class regarding the administration of thrombolytic and adjunctive therapy for Emergency Department Nurses. April 1993.

Two-hour presentation of Diabetes Management of the Pre-Hospital Patient to Paramedics and MICN's. June 1992.

Media Appeared on local talk show and national cable talk show (Living With Diabetes) March 8, 1992.

Spoke before 400 people. Reviewed financial status, solicited for an increase in the donor base and contributions. Banquet proceeds: $8,000. Donor based increased 13%. October 1991.

Two-hour lecture presenting medical management/nursing intervention for the GDM and overt diabetes and pregnancy patient. Risk factor, diagnosis, preconception, antepartum, intrapartum, through postpartum management for mother and baby. Presented several times from 1990-93.

Presented methodology and purpose of statewide Diabetes and Pregnancy data collection; presented at various times between 1989 -1993.

Bi-annual Column on Patient Safety Journal of Nursing Care Quality Ongoing beginning Winter 2003-2005

Performance Improvement Course Development for Grossmont Hospital Staff January 2000

Standardization of Quality Improvement Indicators. Journal of Nursing Quality. December 1997

Systems Integration of Chest Pain Centers and Marketing Approaches in a Managed Care Environment. Clinician, June 1995

Brain Attack: Innovations for the Stroke Care Continuum Assisted in the planning and implementation of a one-day symposium on the management of Stroke. April 1994

California State Diabetes and Pregnancy_"Guidelines for Care” Active in revision of medical management, nursing education and glossary for State document. Publication date: 1992

Assisted in planning conference for 225 multidisciplinary professionals. Developed and implement conference budget of

Co-authored brochure focused for patient and professional information regarding diabetes and pregnancy

Golden Half-Hour, Brain Attack - Innovations in Stroke Care, Designing Care for Two - Diabetes and Pregnancy, Designed syllabus for these symposiums.