April 6, 2005

Susan B. Frampton to Serve as Expert Advisor to New Patient Safety Organization

Derby, CT: Susan B. Frampton, Ph.D., President of Planetree, a not-for-profit membership organization working with hospitals and health centers to develop and implement patient-centered care in creating healing environments, has been asked to serve as an expert advisor to the newly created Connecticut Healthcare Research and Education Foundation’s Patient Safety Organization (CHREF PSO).

CHREF is the education and quality affiliate of the Connecticut Hospital Association, which has worked with Connecticut’s not-for-profit hospitals on a variety of quality and patient safety projects for more than 75 years. The PSO is a new program based on recent Connecticut legislation that allows hospitals and other healthcare providers to work collaboratively on patient safety in a confidential manner. Their mission is to promote patient safety by identifying and disseminating reliable information that can be used to reduce adverse events and enhance the quality of healthcare provided in Connecticut.

As President of Planetree, Susan Frampton works with an alliance of over 95 hospitals and health centers in the U.S. and internationally that have implemented Planetree’s unique patient-centered model of care. In this role, Frampton translates the data gathered through scores of patient, family and healthcare staff focus groups into meaningful and helpful strategies to transform organizational culture.

Frampton presents frequently at conferences and seminars around the country and internationally. Her presentation topics include, “Putting Patients First: Designing and Practicing Patient-Centered Care”, “Creating a Culture of Customer Service”, “Healing Architecture and Design for Hospitals”, “Hospital of Choice: Differentiating Your Organization to Attract Patients and Employees”, and “Planetree Spirit of Caring: Innovation in Patient-Centered Care”.

She is also one of the key editors and authors of the recently released Putting Patients First: Designing and Practicing Patient-Centered Care, published by Jossey- Bass Publishers. (To find out about Putting Patients First, go to www.planetree.org.) The book was selected by the American College of Healthcare Executives as the 2004 James A. Hamilton Book of the Year.

Frampton received both masters and doctoral degrees in medical anthropology, with a focus on public health policy and personal health behavior. Prior to her work with Planetree, she spent over 20 years in a variety of hospitals in New England developing health promotion, risk reduction and integrative medicine product lines.

For more information, please contact Lisa Donnarumma at ldonnarumma@planetree.org or 203-732-1377.