Yisrael Mordecai Safeek

Early life and education

Safeek was born in South America, the eldest child of Nazmoon Safeek and Reverend Mark B. Safeek. He attended Austin Peay State University graduating in two and a half years with a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring with a double major in biology and chemistry. He attended the Quillen School of Medicine at East Tennessee State University graduating with a Doctor of Medicine degree. . After a general surgery internship, he completed his anesthesiology training at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. Later, Safeek completed a Master of Business Administration degree at the University of Tennessee Physician Executive MBA program.

Medical career

After medical training, Safeek became medical director at Cleveland Community Hospital while he established an independent anesthesia medical practice. Safeek implemented various patient safety and lean initiatives in various operating rooms like Crew Resource Management resulting in safer anesthesia care. He proactively instituted several steps to prevent awareness under anesthesia while serving as Pikeville Medical Center’s Vice President of Clinical Affairs. In the early 1990s, Safeek was a shareholder in Cleveland Community Hospital, and CEO of medical practices and medical director of hospitals in Tennessee and Kentucky. He later served as CEO of a billing and collections company and was actively involved in revenue cycle management.

Business career

Having been a medical director for his entire medical career, in 2007, Safeek transitioned from the clinical arena to the business sector after obtaining his Master of Business Administration. In 2010, Safeek founded the SafeCare Group, a firm with subsidiaries including SafeCare Analytics that innovates software Other SafeCare Group subsidiaries analyze data to annually produce "100 SafeCare Hospitals" ratings, and publish SafeCare Magazine, "Delivering information on the people, ideas and novel technologies affecting safe and quality healthcare to healthcare's most influential leaders". The SafeCare Group developed and markets the comprehensive PULSE ℠ software for Clinical Integration and OPPE Readiness App (OPPERA℠) for OPPE and FPPE regulatory compliance.

SafeCare Analytics® Saas-based Joint Commission OPPE

Safeek supervised the software architect and design team at SafeCare Analytics, a subsidiary of The SafeCare Group, to produce the EMR-based OPPE Readiness App (OPPERA℠) for Joint Commission OPPE and FPPE compliance. OPPERA℠ is a specialty-specific credentialing tool centered around the six core competencies. It consists of a care management module, an incident management module, and an educational management module for 54 medical specialties and allied health.

SafeCare Analytics® SaaS-based for CMS Reimbursement Programs

Safeek supervised the software architect and design team at SafeCare Analytics to produce EMR-based analytical Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)-based applications using SafeCare's proprietary technology to identify conditions that contribute to poor CMS reimbursement programs result. These include analytical software applications for CMS Hospital Value Based Purchasing, Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, and Hospital Acquired Conditions Reduction Program.

SafeCare Analytics® SaaS-based DNVGL Quality

Safeek also supervised the engineered SaaS applications for DNV Hospital Quality Management System.

SafeCare Magazine®

Out of the need to educate hospital leaders – CEOs and boards - on topics that are important for safe patient care, Safeek created SafeCare magazine, "Delivering information on the people, ideas and novel technologies affecting safe and quality healthcare to healthcare's most influential leaders." SafeCare Person of the Year is an annual issue of SafeCare Magazine that recognizes the individual who has contributed significantly toward improving patient safety and healthcare quality across the globe. Previous SafeCare Person of the Year include Joe Kiani, Masimo Corp CEO, and Otto Cars, ReAct Group Sweden, Founder.

100 SafeCare Hospitals®

Only about two percent of US hospitals earn the prestigious 100 SafeCare Hospitals® distinction, with the top 50 hospitals representing the top one percent of US hospitals. The hospitals are ranked based upon performance with infections, complications, and readmissions.

CAUTI Bundle

Safeek published a simple, easy-to-remember urinary tract infections open source bundle (CAUTI Bundle) in Physician Executive, the journal of the American College of Physician Executives to prevent catheter associated urinary tract infections. The CAUTI Bundle was later reprinted by Healthcare Financial Management Journal upon request as a tool to decrease unnecessary financial cost from hospital acquired urinary tract infections. The CAUTI Bundle is similar to the bundles for prevention and treatment of ventilator-associated pneumonia, sepsis, and central line-related infections from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. It consists of five steps: CDC Hand Hygiene, sterile Foley catheter insertion, maintenance of a closed system, perineal care, daily review of catheter need and earliest removal.

I AM FOR SAFETY Surgical Checklist

Safeek also authored and published an open source safe surgery checklist in Physician Executive Journal based upon his experience as an anesthesiologist overseeing operating rooms in several states. The checklist is a modified version of the World Health Organization surgical safety checklist and includes safety checks required by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and Joint Commission. It utilizes the mnemonic I AM FOR SAFETY that documents the sequence of patient safety exercises for caregivers to employ.

The I AM FOR SAFETY checklist incorporated key patient safety exercises designed to be performed during distinctly critical and vulnerable peri-operative time periods for surgical patients:

Sign in: Joint Commission two identifiers, medication allergy and reconciliation, site markings requirements, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) fasting, oxygen, and airway status requirements, transfusion and fluid requirements, and equipment availability before taking the patient into the operative suite.

Time out: Medicare Core Measure SCIP 1a, and Joint Commission Universal Protocol before surgical incision.

Sign out: Yield of final instrument/supply count and specimen tally before closure of the operative wound.

Patient Safety innovations

Safeek is credited with several other patient safety innovations. These include measures to reduce patient falls in hospitals, mitigate pressure ulcers from becoming a problem, and supporting safe surgeries through a checklist. DON'T SPLAT Fall Prevention Checklist SAFE SKIN Pressure Ulcers Checklist

Efficiency of Care innovations

BLUE (Better Lean & Utilization Exchange) Huddles

Readiness Early Disposition Plan

RED (Readiness Early Disposition) Discharge Plan that focuses on utilization management, care facilitation, discharge planning, and clinical integration for safe,timely, and effective hospital discharges.

Joint Commission affiliation

From 2005-2014, Safeek was intermittently employed by The Joint Commission, holding certifications in the Hospital Accreditation Program (2005–2014), and the Outpatient-Based Surgery Program (2009–2014). Between 2005 - 2014, Safeek participated with JCAHO in patient safety task forces, sentinel event /root cause activity, failure mode and effect analyses, and special cause hospital inspections. As part of hospital inspections, Safeek analyzed care systems for risk-points which impacted CMS deemed status, and communicated adverse decisions to hospital boards, leadership, and medical staffs.

In 2010, Safeek worked with a team at The Joint Commission to develop the Systems Tracer, "Evaluating Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluation (OPPE) and Focused Professional Practice Evaluation (FPPE) Processes." This effort culminated in the accrediting body's OPPE and FPPE Booster Pak and is the gold standard for evaluation of credentialing and privileging processes. In 2012, Safeek was interviewed on several occasions for his position regarding the impact of physician credentialing on patient safety. In 2008, Safeek was recognized by The Joint Commission for his work in formulating a new patient flow tracer that addressed capacity and throughput issues in patient care areas.

National presentations

Since 2005, Safeek has mentored hospital boards, executive leadership, and medical staffs on quality, patient safety, teamwork initiatives, disruptive behavior, and the OPPE and FPPE. He presented the keynote address for doctors and teamwork.

Safeek has been a vocal advocate for physician leadership to improve healthcare quality, patient safety, and the patient experience. Safeek advocated for more physician leaderships in government and leading healthcare organizations. Safeek stated, "the role of medical administrators (Chief Medical Officer) is no longer that of a diplomatic liaison between the medical and the administrative staff. They are now responsible for customer satisfaction, financial performance and clinical results."

In 2013, Safeek presented at the Florida Association of Medical Staff Services on OPPE and FPPE. His topics were, "Linking FPPE/OPPE to Privileges" and "Best Practices for FPPE/OPPE."

In 2012, he was featured by the American College of Physician Executives Knowledge Worth Sharing Series for his video teleconference of "Credentialing and Privileging: A Prescription for Accountable Care". Safeek highlighted how passage of national health care legislation created a need for better credentialing of physicians to participate in Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), citing the "patient safety vacuum".

In 2012, Safeek was also interviewed regarding the current state of OPPE and FPPE across the nation, highlighting the struggles for healthcare organizations.

In 2012, Safeek was the keynote speaker at The 15th Annual Association for Healthcare Accreditation Professionals Symposium focusing on "Accountable Credentialing and Privileging: Adopting Strategies for Better Health, Better Care, and Better Value." In 2012, Safeek was also the featured speaker at the 6th Annual Credentialing Resource Center Symposium focusing on "Preparing for The Joint Commission's OPPE and FPPE Systems Tracer".

Between 2010 and 2011, he served on the Advocacy and Patient Safety task forces of the American College of Physician Executives. At the AMP Symposium in 2011 in Chicago, he presented the importance of physician leadership in attaining the Triple Aims of Accountable Care.

Safeek participated in the featured webcast: Assessing the competence of low- and no-volume practitioners In 2011, Safeek was the featured speaker at Cincinnati-based Catholic Health Partners Physician Leadership Academy, discussing strategic solutions to the OPPE and FPPE.

In 2009, Safeek represented Covenant Health System in a Texas statewide executive panel with diverse politicians and executives on healthcare reform. Safeek was recognized as 2007 Outstanding Physician Leader of the Year. Safeek left Covenant Health System to found The SafeCare Group to enhance quality, patient safety, and efficiency to national healthcare.

Books

Safeek is the author of the book Credentialing and Privileging for Accountable Care: A Prescription for the Ailing Stethoscope and the Dull Scalpel, published through the American College of Physician Executives. The reviews for the book were positive. There were book signings in Chicago at the Summer Institute of the American College of Physician Executives.

Papers

Safeek has spoken and written on the impact of the Core Measures, National Patient Safety Goals, and IHI bundles to enhance patient safety, and decrease preventable deaths. There are also several publications on healthcare efficiency dealing with decreased lengths of stay and improved discharges. Safeek is published in such prestigious journals as "Physician Executive Journal" and "Healthcare Financial Management Association".