Risk Benchmarking – The SURI Framework

Speaker Bios

Tawni Solberg has had a 30 year career in health care. Over the years she was worked in all lines of patient care and emergency preparedness. She spend most of those years in the emergency care setting. She has held positions of Nurse Manager, Site Director, Director of Operations, Emergence Services Director and Risk Manager. She also served as Chair for the Washington State Trauma Prevention Team. She deployed nationally to work as Director of Operations and Financial and Statistical Manager on for Red Cross responding across our nation including to Hurricane Sandy where she was part of the team that developed the staffing program utilizing local resources which is still used today.

She earned her Master’s in Healthcare Administration from WGU and continues educational opportunities to further her knowledge and skills. She has a passion for patient advocacy, building from the bottom up or reimaging resilient programs that enhance both the patient experience and staff satisfaction and retention. Her most recent project was heading up the National Risk Benchmarking Collaborative.

She holds a medical patent on a micro valve device that benefits hemophiliacs, elderly and pediatrics. She has spent most of her adult life helping others through difficult times which permanently altered how she looks at life, health and happiness.

Catherine M. Anderson, JD, RN began working as a Registered Nurse in 2000, and Healthcare Compliance and Risk Management in 2011. She has progressively grown into different roles over the past 12 years working as Director of Quality, Risk and Patient Safety. Roles include managing Patient Safety and Risk events through use of clinical record reviews; policy and procedure development; managing legal claims; creating, managing and directing databases to track and trend process improvements; conducting RCAs and FMEAs; leading development of action plans; reporting to Accreditation, State and Federal agencies; partnering with executives, leaders and staff across entire facilities and organizations. She has extensive experience in Academic, Acute and Ambulatory Care settings, including hospitals, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Free standing Emergency Departments and Urgent Cares, Behavioral Health, and all ambulatory settings (Primary Care, Specialties, etc.). Catherine has created programs for Emergency Preparedness, Patient Experience, Quality, Research and Academic Clinical Settings, Risk Management and Patient Safety programs. She has led multiple committees, and rolled out system wide education for staff and leaders. Catherine grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado attending the College of St. Catherine and Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Blake Barthelmess has had a wide and varied career arc, defined by leading transformational teams, applying technology to support business outcomes, reimagining the patient experiences, developing strategic risk programs, and driving growth. He has had the great fortune to work in various industries (Health Care, CPG, Tech, Renewable Energy and Logistics) in various countries including the USA, Norway, China, Germany, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates. Barthelmess has held senior executive roles including Chief Operations Officer for Columbia Basin Health Association (FQHC), Chief Executive Officer for SolarX Works, Chief Information Officer for Columbia Colstor and Chief of Staff for LDK Silicon.

As Managing Director for BHBPartners, Mr. Barthelmess has collaborated with institutions such as Mubadala, Masdar/Abu Dhabi Future Energies Corporation, MPV, and Advanced Materials Management Systems on various projects (ranging from millions to billions of dollars) in locations such as China, Germany, Norway, Taiwan, Canada, UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. He has developed enterprise risk programs for companies across many different industries from Health Care to Energy sectors. His specific focus has been tying risk management to organizational change to create positive outcomes. Barthelmess is the founder of the Kinetic Leadership Academy which provides advanced leadership development and mentorship.

Barthelmess received a BA in Communications from the University of Idaho and an MBA from the University of Oregon. He holds certifications from the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), the National Association of Safety Professionals (NASP), MGMA, and CIO Certifications from Oxford Said School of Business/Gartner, Oxford, England.