March 4, 2002

Contact: Jennifer Kurczek
Community Relations Director

(920)361-5481 or jkurczek@partnershealth.org

CHN's Quality Director achieves professional certification

As a registered nurse with a bachelor's of science degree in nursing, Community Health Network's Kathy Beier already has several credentials after her name. Now, she'll have to make room for one more.

Beier, who serves as CHN's Quality/Risk Management and Infection Control Director, has achieved the prestigious international credential, Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ).

The comprehensive CPHQ credential covers the fields of quality, case, care, disease, utilization, and risk management -- and emphasizes how all of these programs and processes integrate into an effective system.

To achieve the designation, Beier passed a fully, accredited international examination which assesses the knowledge to achieve regulatory compliance and accreditation, program development along a continuum of care, and quality improvement concepts.

"We applaud Kathy for joining more than 10,000 colleagues nationwide and internationally to achieve this career milestone," said Barbara Larson, CHN's Vice President of Operations. "We look forward to Kathy's continued professional contributions and leadership in the quality management process at Community Health Network."

In order to attempt the CPHQ examination, candidates must meet minimum educational requirements and have at least two years of experience in the healthcare quality management field. Beier worked in various nursing roles at Berlin Memorial Hospital prior to becoming CHN's Quality Director in 1999. She graduated from the nursing program at Mercy Medical Center and her bachelor of science in nursing degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

At CHN, one of Beier's primary tasks is to ensure the organization achieves stringent standards established by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, which is a national accrediting agency that conducts extensive on-sight surveys at Berlin Memorial Hospital every three years. She is also responsible for implementing CHN's annual Quality Plan, overseeing patient satisfaction survey process and designing infection control programs.

Serving area families with 'exceptional medicine, compassionate care,' Community Health Network is a continuum of healthcare services which includes Berlin Memorial Hospital, CHN Home Care, Juliette Manor, Proformance Fitness & Rehabilitation, Proformance Workplace Services, Senior Care, and the CHN Medical group, consisting of more than 110 multi-specialty providers serving nearly 20 community clinics.