CEP America’s Practice Support

CEP America (CEP) is committed to fostering an atmosphere of mutual respect and teamwork among all emergency department (ED) team members. Creating a strong team environment in our EDs improves job satisfaction for all team members, enhances patient care, and improves the operations and efficiency of the department.

Practice Management Consultants: CEP sites can draw upon the expertise of our Practice Management Consultants (PMCs), who are experienced ED and hospital managers and educators. In this role, PMCs support CEP Medical and Regional Directors in strengthening staff relationships at our sites and in implementing performance improvement programs.

PMCs are employed by CEP’s wholly owned practice support company, MedAmerica. A wealth of expertise is available through these consultants. PMCs provide operational and risk assessments, team building, and consultation services at client sites. They are also available for speaking engagements. Our Practice Management Consultants include:

Bonnie Carl, RN, MBA, Clinical Practice Management Consultant, has a well established career in the medical field and over 32 years of experience that includes senior hospital management positions as well as hospital and outpatient consulting. She has combined nursing and management expertise in process and quality improvement, customer service, capacity management, reengineering workflow, staff development, regulatory compliance, construction management, equipment and interiors planning, and new product line development and implementation.

Nancy Carlson, BSN, MBA, RN, Clinical Practice Management Consultant, has over 30 years of experience in nursing, nursing management, quality and patient safety. Nancy’s most recent work focuses on capacity management/patient flow, risk reduction, quality outcomes, and improving systems to ensure safe patient care. She is considered an expert and has spoken nationally on the topic of quality and patient safety. A founding member of the California Nursing Outcomes Coalition (CalNOC, the largest ongoing statewide nurse staffing and nursing quality measurement database project in the nation), she serves on its Governance and Advisory Board. Nancy is also a past president of the Association of California Nurse Leaders.

Steve Escamilla, FACHE, DSHS, Senior Practice Management Consultant, has an extensive background in performance management and operational improvement with a variety of healthcare organizations. A Board Certified Healthcare Executive, he is an expert in facilitating strategic and operational change that benefits hospital clients, their staffs, and their patients. Steve also has expertise in quality, medical staff services, change management, and the analysis and design of complex clinical and business processes using Lean and Six Sigma methodologies. He is a former president of the Society for Health Systems, and currently serves as the Vice President for Technical Networking for the Institute of Industrial Engineers.

Christina Palombo, RN, CPHQ, Clinical Practice Management Consultant, has over 30 years of experience in nursing, nurse management, emergency department management, and patient safety risk management. She has a proven record of introducing innovative patient-oriented assessment and treatment systems; documenting and tracking quality outcomes; building cross-trained, cohesive teams; and improving patient and family satisfaction. She has also served as a speaker and industry expert on streamlining emergency processes for presentations to executives and clinical management staff for premier medical centers and community hospitals.

Becky Petersen, RN, MS, Clinical Practice Management Consultant, has a wealth of experience, spanning 35 years in healthcare leadership. A previous emergency department director and Director of the Hospital Consortium Education Network, she is also a talented educator and public speaker. Her relationship-building skills and understanding of team dynamics prove indispensable in her consulting roles at client sites. Her proficiencies also include EPIC EMR software certification for ED, CPOE and Clinical Documentation.

John Ruffner, Senior Practice Management Consultant, has a career in healthcare that spans over 25 years including senior management positions in both hospitals and physician practices/groups. His experience includes opening and remodeling hospital emergency departments in large urban and small rural institutions. John also brings considerable experience in Hospitalist and corrections medical services. Additionally, he has a strong hospital financial and operations background.

Matt Sartain, MBA, Senior Practice Management Consultant, has over 18 years experience in healthcare consulting. As a Senior Practice Management Consultant, he has developed and implemented several programs that have greatly improved the financial and operational performance of our client emergency departments and urgent care centers. Matt's strong background in regulation, quality and risk management and operations provide depth to the comprehensive expertise of the MedAmerica consulting team. Matt has a B.S. in Finance and an M.B.A in Healthcare Administration.