Advisory Board
AHAP's advisory board helps AHAP administrators make decisions about programs, membership benefits, and the most pertinent concerns of survey coordinators.
Advisory Board Members
Jodi L. Eisenberg, MHA, CPMSM, CPHQ, CSHA (Chair)
Jodi L. Eisenberg is program manager of accreditation and clinical compliance at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Jodi is responsible for leading the full range of Joint Commission and other accreditation and regulatory compliance activities, including organization of continuous compliance activities for Joint Commission and other regulatory agencies. Additionally, Jodi serves as an editorial advisor for Briefings on The Joint Commission, published by HCPro, Inc.
Jean Clark, RHIA, CSHA
Jean S. Clark is the service line director for health information management at Roper St. Francis Healthcare in Charleston, SC. She is the contributing editor to Medical Record Briefings, and author of Information Management: The Compliance Guide to JCAHO Standards, Fifth Edition and Ongoing Records Review: A Guide to JCAHO Compliance and Best Practice, Fourth Edition, all from HCPro. She is a past president of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), AHIMA's 2000 Distinguished Member, and past president of the International Federation of Health Records Organizations.
Elizabeth Di Giacomo-Geffers, RN, MPH, CNAA, BC, CSHA
Elizabeth Di Giacomo-Geffers is a healthcare consultant in Trabuco Canyon, CA, and former Joint Commission surveyor. During her time as a surveyor, Elizabeth was responsible for surveying healthcare organizations (networks, hospitals, and ambulatory care) throughout the United States, Italy, Germany, and Japan, providing ongoing evaluation, education, and consultation consistent with applicable Joint Commission standards, policies, and protocols. She now offers consultation in regulatory agency compliance, focusing on The Joint Commission, CMS, and Title 22.
Missi (Mary) Halvorsen, RN, BSN, CSHA
Missi Halvorsen is the senior consultant for accreditation and compliance for Baptist Health, a five-hospital healthcare system servicing the five-county region of Duval, Nassau, Baker, Clay, and St. Johns, in northeast Florida. Her responsibilities include Joint Commission continuous preparedness for adult and pediatric inpatient, outpatient, ambulatory, behavioral health, and home care services. She chairs the health system's accreditation committee, dedicated to continuous service readiness, and is an active member of patient safety and environment of care committees.
Candace J. Hamner, RN, MA, CSHA
Candace J. Hamner has been actively involved in Joint Commission survey preparation since 1981 in four different hospitals. Currently, she is the vice president of care management for Northwest Hospital Center, a Lifebridge Health Center in Randallstown, MD. In this role, Candace oversees the hospital's patient safety, performance improvement, risk management, Joint Commission accreditation, case management and social work, medical library, infection control, employee health, health information management, patient satisfaction, subacute unit, volunteers, and business outreach.
Gayla J. Jackson, RN, BSN
Gayla J. Jackson is a practicing nurse manager with 25 years of experience at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, MA. She maintains active membership on numerous hospital-wide committees related to quality and patient safety and is a member of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors Advisory Committee. Gayla has spoken nationally on the topic of critical test results and has authored the HCPro, Inc. book, Critical Test Results Troubleshooter: Practical Strategies and Tools for Joint Commission Compliance.
Jackie Smith-Helmenstine, CPHQ
Jackie Smith-Helmenstine is the regulatory and accreditation coordinator for the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics (UWHC) in Madison, WI. Jackie started at UWHC in 2002 as a quality analyst supporting the departments of surgery and orthopedics and rehabilitation. In 2003, she assumed the position of regulatory and accreditation coordinator, managing Joint Commission and other regulatory activities for the hospital, ambulatory clinics, outpatient services, and home care settings. Prior to coming to UWHC, Jackie worked at a 30 bed community hospital as a quality manager. She is a member of the Wisconsin Association of Healthcare Quality.
