Lisa French Becomes Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality
 Penobscot Valley Hospital has made a strong commitment to remain on top of the newest guidelines, methods and best practices for quality improvement. Quality improvement (QI) is crucial to healthcare because it is directly tied to patient safety, satisfaction and efficiency of care. QI assures patients receive the best possible care at the best possible price.
In October, Lisa French, PVH Senior Director of Quality Improvement, obtained the prestigious certification of Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) from the National Association for Healthcare Quality. French successfully completed a 140-question examination designating her as a world-class professional in healthcare quality excellence. The CPHQ examination is a fully accredited, standardized measurement tool created to test the knowledge, skills and abilities expected of competent quality improvement professionals.
“Having worked in the clinical setting as a nurse, Lisa French has a diverse background which helps her exceed in quality improvement,” explains PVH Director of Human Resources, Sarah Loman. “PVH is very proud to have Lisa on board as a certified professional in healthcare quality. Lisa’s extensive knowledge, compassion, and recent certification only helps us to further our mission, vision, and values as an organization dedicated to providing optimum care for our community.”
Recently the Quality Improvement Department at Penobscot Valley Hospital was invited to the University of Maine at Orono to speak with senior nursing students about quality improvement. The UMaine students were exposed to the vital need for quality improvement in the healthcare industry. The students discussed current trends and how QI in healthcare is similar to other industries that assure safety and satisfaction like manufacturing, hotels, and airlines.
French states, “PVH needs to remain current and vigilant as the healthcare reform takes place. We all need to do our part to promote safety and provide the best care and services that our community needs.”
The healthcare team at Penobscot Valley Hospital is currently working on projects to improve medication safety and infection prevention, and to increase seasonal immunizations for our community. Quality improvement is everybody’s job at PVH; even patients provide a role in knowing their medications and communicating any changes or problems to their physician.
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