2025 Patient Safety, Quality, and Equity Symposium Register Now

Registration
 

Welcome and Introduction
Robert G. Shipp III, PhD, BSN, RN, NEA-BC, Vice President, Workforce & Clinical Affairs, The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania
 

Accreditation 360: The New Standards 
Robert Campbell, PharmD, BCSCP, Senior Director, Standards Interpretation, Accreditation Decision Management, and Medication Safety, The Joint CommissionRobert Campbell, PharmD, BCSCP, Senior Director, Standards Interpretation, Accreditation Decision Management, and Medication Safety, The Joint Commission
    
As the healthcare landscape evolves, so do the expectations for safety, quality, and accountability. During this session, we will take a comprehensive look at the latest updates to accreditation standards. Attendees will explore key changes impacting compliance, survey readiness, and quality improvement efforts across healthcare settings. The session will highlight practical strategies for integrating new requirements into daily operations, fostering a culture of continuous readiness, and aligning with high-reliability and patient safety goals. Participants will leave with a clear understanding of how to navigate the new standards, prepare for successful surveys, and lead sustainable, organization-wide improvement.
 

Vaccines, Misinformation, and the Lifespan: Protecting Patients from Infancy to Older Age
Lori Handy, MD, MSCE, Associate Director, Vaccine Education Center, Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, Attending Physician, Division of Infectious Diseases, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Vaccines remain one of the most powerful tools in patient safety, yet misinformation continues to challenge public trust and clinical practice. In this session, Dr. Lori Handy will explore how immunization strategies evolve across the lifespan and how disinformation threatens both individual and community health. Attendees will gain practical insights into current vaccine recommendations, common safety concerns, and the growing impact of vaccine hesitancy. The session will also highlight communication strategies for addressing misinformation and reinforcing evidence-based decision-making in clinical care.
 

Networking Break
 

Leveraging Patient-Reported Data to Advance Quality, Safety, and Equity
Ben Hamlin, DrPH, FAMIA, Director, Digital Health, IPRO
Nikolas Matthes, MD, PhD, MPH, MSc, Assistant Vice President, Data & Analytics; Director, Center for Performance Measurement, IPRO

This session will clarify key concepts such as PROs, PROMs, PGHD, and PRO-PMs, and explore how patient-reported information can enhance clinical decision-making and provide critical insights into outcomes and experiences often missed by traditional data. Attendees will also learn how data and interoperability standards can support more effective collection, documentation, and use of this information to drive meaningful improvements in care delivery.
 

Educational Session
 

Preventing Violence in Healthcare: Protecting Providers, Patients and Facilities
Eric Sean Clay, MBA, CPP, PSP, PCI, CHPA

Violence against healthcare providers and patients is rising at an alarming rate, especially within hospital settings. This session, led by security expert Eric Sean Clay, MBA, CPP, PSP, PCI, CHPA, will address real-world threats in Pennsylvania hospitals and provide a strategic framework for early intervention and high-level security planning. Attendees will explore how to recognize early behavioral indicators of violence, implement proactive threat management protocols, and apply enterprise-level security solutions that align with the unique demands of healthcare environments.
 

Networking Reception
 

Dinner (On Your Own)
 

Breakfast, Networking, and Sponsor Exhibits
 

Neighbor to Neighbor: One Health System’s Response to Another System’s Collapse
Shelly Buck, DNP, MBA, President, Riddle Hospital, Main Line Health
Deborah Mantegna, RN, MSN, System Director, Community Health and Outreach, Main Line Health
Vanessa Saylor, Ed.D., MSW, LSW, CCM, System Director, Health Equity, Main Line Health  

On May 2, 2025, the last hospital in a four-hospital system closed, leaving a vulnerable community without care or its largest employer. This session explores how our health system, in partnership with local organizations, worked to maintain access to critical services. We’ll highlight Together For Chester, a coalition formed to coordinate care and support residents, and the key role of Community Health Workers in bridging gaps. Attendees will learn strategies to manage healthcare disruption and promote equity during hospital closures.
 

Reactor Panel: Improving Quality and Equity with Community Connections
Moderator: Rosangely Cruz-Rojas, DrPH, Vice President, Chief Diversity & Equity Officer, Main Line Health

Panelists:

• Rajika E. Reed, Ph.D., MPH, M.Ed., Vice President, Community Health, St. Luke's University Health Network
• Lakisha R. Sturgis, RN, BSN, MPH, CPHQ, Director, Community Care Management, Population Health, Temple University Health System

Join leaders from Pennsylvania’s hospitals and health systems to explore how real-world data, collaborative workflows, and innovative partnerships are reducing health disparities. Panelists will share lessons from SDOH data integration, hospital–CBO referral models, and community-informed program design. Panelists will also examine how policies established under OBBBA are reshaping hospital finances and access to essential services, and explore forward-looking strategies to sustain and scale efforts that meet patients’ health-related social needs in a changing policy and funding environment.
 

Networking Break and Move to Breakout Sessions
 

Breakout Sessions
A. Optimizing Patient Safety: Integrating Disciplines to Reduce and Prevent Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries

• Marzena (Jenna) Sroczynski, MSN, RN, CWOCN, Thomas Jeferson University Hospital
• Helene Dailey, DNP, RN, CCRN, CCCTM, Thomas Jeferson University Hospital
• Elizabeth Kuruvilla, MSN, RN, SCRN, Thomas Jeferson University Hospital 

B. Catching the Silent Decline: Real-Time Data That Saves Lives

• Charles Sonday, DNP, ACNP-BC, Associate Chief Medical Information Officer, St. Luke’s University Health Network
• Julie Tanhauser, MS, RN, BSN, IT Strategic Planner, Clinical Imaging, St. Luke’s University Health Network 
   

Networking Break and Move to Breakout Sessions
 

Breakout Sessions

A. A Leap of Faith: Creating Zone Leaders in the Emergency Department to Increase Staff Engagement and Decrease Turnover
Jeffrey Bomba, DNP, MBA, MSN, RN NE-BC, Nurse Manager, Emergency Department and Clinical Decision Unit, Allegheny Health Network

B. Improving Access and Reducing ED Visits through Street Medicine
Casey Fenoglio, MPH, CHES,Director, Community Engagement & Grant Writing, Pottstown Hospital, Tower Health 
 

Networking Break and Move to Breakout Sessions
 

Breakout Sessions
A. From Silos to System: Transforming PFACs into a Unified Voice
Suzanne Smith, System Director, Patient Experience, Main Line Health

B. Optimizing Hospital Throughput: A Multidisciplinary Approach and Cultural Transformation for Improved Patient Flow and Outcomes
Jennifer Higgins, BSN, RN, CPPS, Patient Safety Officer, WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital 

C. Hooked on Safety: Celebrating a Good Catch

• Lisa Marie Esolen, MD, FIDSA, Executive Vice-President and Chief Quality Officer, Associate, Infectious Diseases, The Guthrie Clinic
• Kelly Goff, CPHRM, LPC, Senior Director System Patient Safety and Quality, The Guthrie Clinic
   

Move to Main Session
 

Turbocharging 2026: The Critical Role of Artificial Intelligence
Steve Berkowitz, MD, Founder and President, SMB Consulting

Despite the fact that most hospitals have achieved many of the quality measures, there is considerable concern that overall quality/ life expectancy has not improved.  This presentation discusses the four phases of quality improvement and how AI serves to be the true catalyst to drive quality improvement to the next level.  Dr. Berkowitz will discuss specific applications of AI and how best to strategically utilize this technology to lead to better outcomes and community health.
 

Group Luncheon, Excellence in Patient Safety Recognition, and Closing Speaker
 

Adjourn