The future of quality & safety is bright…because you are here

Happy New Year! As I begin my term as NAHQ president, I am honored to serve with a distinguished and dedicated board of directors. I look forward to sharing my perspectives and insights with you as you continue on your quality & safety journey. As I also celebrate my 15-year anniversary of earning the Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality® (CPHQ), I reflect on how grateful I am for NAHQ’s professional development opportunities that have been so important to my career. 

My NAHQ journey has been as a dedicated lifelong learner – from being a NAHQ member and volunteer, to my role as a co-chair on committees, to becoming chair of NAHQ’s Education Commission, to now serving as the president of the Board of Directors. Volunteerism – both personally and professionally – has always been near and dear to my heart. 

My driving passion is patient advocacy and how quality & safety is so critically important to the patient’s healthcare experience. I first got the quality bug when I was working in acute care as a staff respiratory therapist. My proudest moments were caring for and connecting with patients and families, especially those struggling to navigate their hospital experience and understand the resources available to them. As I became more involved with the standards of care, I knew I wanted to help patients receive the highest quality and safest care possible. That experience in understanding the connection between quality and the patient experience catapulted my career into population health and helping patients navigate the healthcare experience on a much broader level.  

Then, over more than three incredible decades in leadership roles, most recently in the areas of virtual health, digital health and telemedicine, I also saw how critically important quality & safety are in the growing area of care in the home. Being able to offer patients hospital level care in the comfort of their home is transformational.  

I realize quality means different things to different people. So, throughout the year, you’ll be hearing more from me about how NAHQ defines quality & safety and who we believe needs to be involved, from the front line to the quality & safety department to the C-suite. NAHQ will do what has not yet been done – take quality to the mainstream and elevate it in a big, bold way. We will do this by talking more about: “WHAT is Quality, WHO is Quality, WHY Quality is Important, and HOW Quality is achieved,” ultimately sharing a comprehensive and compelling story of our profession and discipline. 

I close with some practical advice I hope you find helpful on your own quality & safety journey. First, follow and fuel your passion. Whether you are part of an organization that has a dedicated focus on quality & safety or you wish to create that environment, there are many things you can do as a NAHQ member to advance this:  

• Stay connected and get involved in volunteer opportunities that will help you continue to grow 
• Build your network and meet others committed to advancing healthcare quality & safety 
• Find a mentor that can help you on your journey no matter what stage you are at in your career 
• Be a quality champion. Spread the word to your peers. Make the case to your leadership.  

NAHQ has been leading the way as the pre-eminent organization dedicated to professionals who work in healthcare quality and safety, defining the standard of excellence for the discipline. ​We know quality has a brighter future. And because you are here, we know you see it too. As we spring into this year ahead, I am excited to collaborate with you in new ways in my role as NAHQ president. Thank you for this opportunity to serve you! 

Patricia (Patty) Resnik, MJ, MBA, RRT, FACHE, CPHQ, CHC, CHPC, CRC 

NAHQ President