The Global Health Accreditation® (GHA) Program, the first independent accrediting body focused on medical travel services and the medical travel patient experience, today announces its team of surveyors responsible for the onsite evaluation of healthcare facilities seeking Global Healthcare Accreditation.
The GHA program complements existing national and international clinical accreditation programs and offers an Accreditation with Excellence designation to those organizations having accreditation from an ISQua approved accrediting body. While these programs traditionally focus on the clinical aspects of care for the entire organization, GHA conducts a deep review of the International or Global Patient Services program or the entity within an organization that serves the medical travel patient.
"GHA standards are the foundation of a systematic and objective evaluation process of an organization’s approach to the management of medical travel services. They focus on the entire medical travel care continuum and specifically how all steps in the care continuum contribute to an overall safe, high quality medical travel experience,” said Karen Timmons, CEO of GHA.
“Our Surveyors are an integral part of the Global Healthcare Accreditation program and include physicians, nurses, and administrators with extensive experience in healthcare quality improvement, the patient experience and medical travel. They are a group of passionate professionals who are always eager to share their expertise and knowledge during their onsite visits with our clients. We are pleased to welcome such experienced and capable professionals as part of our GHA Surveyor team."
GHA surveyor Stephen Shearer stated, “It is a privilege to be able to be a part of an initiative that supports quality healthcare globally. As a surveyor, I am able to support hospitals and clinics in providing a superior treatment experience to the international patient.”
Eleven surveyors currently make up the GHA team:
• Rhonda Anderson, former Chief Executive Officer of Cardon Children’s Medical Center in Mesa, Arizona from 2009 to 2016. She currently is a healthcare consultant for RMA Consulting of Arizona. She is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).
• Bill Cook, Director of Business Development, GHA. Prior to joining GHA, Bill was co-founder and vice president of Medical Tours Costa Rica, a pioneering organization that played a key role in positioning Costa Rica as a leading medical tourism destination. Between 2006 and 2013, Bill and his team managed offshore medical care for over 3,000 patients treated at Costa Rica’s three JCI accredited facilities. Bill has coauthored several books, guides and written many articles related to medical tourism and the international patient experience.
• Carol Gilmore, MBA, RD, Healthcare Quality Consultant. Ms. Gilmore assesses Latin American hospitals and clinics regarding their preparations for JCI accreditation. In this role, she evaluates compliance with standards, delivers presentations and brief education programs. She works with hospital leadership to define objectives and strategies related to accreditation and medical travel.
• Ann Jacobson MSN, former Executive Director, Joint Commission International (JCI) Accreditation Program. Ann possesses over 30 years’ experience in healthcare including executive management, consultation, training/education, accreditation standards compliance, quality and patient safety improvement and care delivery process redesign.
• Sherry Kaufield MA, FACHE, Medical Quality and Safety Officer at the United Nations in the Medical Services Division. Previously, she served as Executive Director, International Services, for Joint Commission International (JCI). Ms. Kaufield has over 30 years of experience in health care with expertise in clinical and managerial operations, business development, corporate compliance, executive leadership development, public relations and marketing, and development and implementation of individual and multi-hospital system performance improvement and strategic planning initiatives.
• Mary Miller Sallah MHA, Chief Quality Officer, GHA. Mrs. Miller possesses over 12 years of experience in the daily management of international healthcare facilities, international business development, proven leadership in change management, and the implementation of continuous quality improvement models in various countries. Miller Sallah is also considered an expert in the field of Medical Tourism, specifically in Best Practices, International Standards, and the operational development of International, Global Patient Services, Medical Tourism or Medical Travel programs.
• Dr. Paul Van Ostenberg, Chairman of the Standards Committee, GHA. Dr. Ostenberg has over 30 years of international leadership in health care quality, patient safety, health care accreditation and standards development. Most recently he held senior management positions at Joint Commission International (JCI) including Senior Advisor, Global Growth and Innovation and Vice President for International Accreditation, Standards, and Measurement and was the first Managing Director for the JCI Asia Pacific Office in Singapore, and the first Managing Director for the JCI European office.
• Jangar RichardsMHSA, former Director of Operations Johns Hopkins Medicine International. Ms. Jangar has over 15 years of experience in various roles in healthcare and hospital operations, managed care, consulting, project management and strategic planning.
• Anne Rooney RN, MS, MPH brings over 30 years of clinical and executive management experience to her role as a consultant and surveyor, including expertise in quality improvement and patient safety. For more than 25 years she held a variety of management positions within The Joint Commission organization, most recently as Vice President – Global Consulting, for Joint Commission Resources and Joint Commission International (JCI).
• Stephen Shearer B.S. is healthcare consultant for over 30 years, Mr. Shearer has a passion for supporting accessible quality healthcare and enjoys working in the global environment. Stephen has provided healthcare consultation and training to multiple healthcare settings including: hospitals, ambulatory clinics, physician practices and residential living programs. He has taught courses sponsored by the United States government, by Joint Commission and by colleges for continuing education courses.
• Joseph Williamson, RDMS, serves as the medical manager for two 24-hour high-volume, multi-functional imaging centers that medically support a host of obstetric, maternal-fetal, invasive, pediatrics/neonatal, perinatal physicians, in the Washington DC area. He has over three decades of clinical experience and two decades of international healthcare consulting, education and training. His primary focus is with Hospital Groups in Africa and the Caribbean.
According to GHA surveyor Ann Jacobson, “As someone who has been intimately involved in healthcare administration, quality improvement and patient safety for the last 30 years, I welcome the opportunity to be a part of GHA's Surveyor team; and I look forward to sharing my knowledge and expertise in helping healthcare providers improve their International or Global Patient services program for medical travelers.”
GHA Standards Accredited by ISQUA
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