OCTOBER 2018 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 31
DR. PATRICK O’SHAUGHNESSY
TAKING PATIENT SAFETY TO NEW HEIGHTS
By JEFF BERMAN
As executive vice president and
chief clinical officer of Catholic
Health Services (CHS) of Long
Island since 2013 and its executive
vice president and chief clinical
officer since last year, Dr. Patrick
O’Shaughnessy’s areas of expertise
include population health management,
medical informatics and
high-reliability science. He’s become
a recognized leader in high-reliability
health care and has published and
spoken nationally on patient safety
and quality improvement processes
in health care. We recently spoke
with Dr. O’Shaughnessy to learn
about his organization’s patient
safety initiatives and get his take on
the current opioid epidemic, as well
as his love of flying.
Why are high-reliability health
care, patient safety and quality
improvement processes in health
care so important to you? We have
successfully applied methodologies
of high-reliability organizations to
better serve patients, raising awareness
throughout the system, promoting
robust process improvement
tools such as Lean and Six
Sigma principles and creating
a culture of safety with a new
campaign, Safety Starts
With Me. To promote this
philosophy, we created
the Daily Patient Safety
Principles that stress a
culture of safety, the
importance of communicating
clearly,
paying attention to
detail, and having a
questioning attitude
along with supporting
best practices and guidelines
to reduce harm.
This is layered withCHS’s
Red Rules, which stress
using two-patient identifiers,
conducting a time-out
before invasive or high-risk
procedures, and a two-provider
check before administration
of blood, blood products and highrisk
medications. Thanks to these
initiatives, CHS has been improving
patient safety and achieving consistent
performance. The result: best
practices, high reliability, better
outcomes. This equates to safe,
high-quality care for CHS patients
and has realized a 70 percent reduction
in hospital-acquired infections.
Can you tell me about
your efforts to address the
heroin and prescription
drug epidemic on Long
Island? I have served on
the Suffolk Heroin and Opiate
Advisory Panel that
helped frame legislative
recommendations. Also,
I provided key legislative
testimony to Governor Cuomo’s
task force on heroin
and prescription drug
abuse last year. At CHS, I implemented
policies that aid emergency
department physicians in preventing
drug-seeking individuals from
obtaining addictive medications. Additionally,
CHS has partnered with
the Family & Children’s Association
(FCA) to assist people with substance
abuse issues who are treated in our
emergency departments.
Known as SHERPA, this
free service is provided
by FCA and
is made up of peer
recovery coaches
trained to meet
with overdose
survivors and
with their families
in emergency
departments. The
team connects people
to treatment, offers
peer and family support,
and provides
follow-up.
In addition to being a doctor, you
are also a licensed pilot. Is there
anything you’ve learned as a pilot
that you’ve been able to use in the
field of medicine? I have applied the
concepts of military and commercial
aviation safety best practices to
health care systems clinical operations,
to the benefit of thousands of
patients.
What other accomplishments
are you especially proud of? I established
the CHS annual Pinnacle
Awards for Quality & Patient Safety,
where clinical teams from all six
hospitals and the system’s continuing
care division submit projects
that advanced quality patient care.
Through the Pinnacle Awards, we
have introduced CHS staff to a host
of experts, such as John J. Nance,
author of Why Hospitals Should
Fly. Other guests were former NASA
astronaut Story Musgrave and
Dr. David B. Nash, founding dean of
the Jefferson College of Population
Health. We are making care safer
and recognizing those driving these
changes.
What do you like most about
your job? The ability to make a
difference.
Do you have any sayings? I always
say our mantra for our patients
should be: “Don’t harm me; heal
me; be kind to me.” To positively
impact patient quality of care, we
launched CHS on a journey to high
reliability. CHS may not be the
biggest health system, but we
will be the best!
What would readers be
surprised to learn about
you? I’m on TV as the host
of CHS Presents: Dr. O:
Faithfully Transforming
Health Care, which
airs on Telecare, now
known as the Catholic
Faith Network.
For more information
about CHS
call 1-855-CHS-
4500 or go to
chsli.org.
PRESS BUSINESS
Dr. Patrick O’Shaughnessy is executive
vice president and chief clinical
officer of Catholic Health Services
(CHS) of Long Island.
(Photo by Barry Sloan)