San Diego, California (PRWEB) March 04, 2014 -- Sepsis Alliance, the nation's leading patient advocacy organization promoting sepsis awareness, today announced that Julie Kliger, MPA, BSN, RN, has joined its Board of Directors.
Ms. Kliger is Principal and CEO of The Altos Group, a California-based organizational improvement and management advisory firm that works exclusively with healthcare organizations. The Altos Group is dedicated to improving patient and organizational outcomes by creating highly-trained, motivated and engaged frontline practitioners.
“We are delighted to welcome Julie Kliger to the Board of Directors," said Dr. Jim O’Brien, Sepsis Alliance Medical Director and Board Chair. “Julie’s experience and work in patient safety and reduction in sepsis mortality will be a valuable asset to the team.”
Sepsis, sometimes called blood poisoning by the general public, is a medical emergency that occurs when the body's response to infection begins to injure its own tissues and organs. It is estimated that 258,000 people in the U.S. die every year from sepsis, a preventable condition requiring early diagnosis and rapid treatment.
“I’m honored to be joining the Sepsis Alliance Board of Directors,” said Kliger. “I look forward to contributing to the organization in a meaningful way through my deep expertise in clinical leadership and organizational improvement.”
Ms. Kliger joins the Board at a time when sepsis is starting to gain more notice among policy makers, partially the result of initiatives such as Rory’s Regulations, which were put into effect in New York State last year. In addition, a government-funded study last year identified sepsis as the most expensive of all in-hospital costs at $20.3 billion in 2011, or 5.2% of the national costs for all hospitalizations that year. Sepsis is also the most expensive condition billed to Medicare, accounting for 6.9% of all 2011 Medicare costs. Despite these numbers, fewer than half of American adults know what sepsis is.
About Sepsis Alliance
Sepsis Alliance is a California-based nonprofit patient advocacy organization promoting awareness of sepsis. Sepsis Alliance operates by providing information and education to raise awareness of sepsis and its devastating effects across North America. Sepsis Alliance also provides support by giving people affected by sepsis a forum to share information. Sepsis Alliance was founded after the death of 23 year-old Erin Flatley due to sepsis, which motivated her family to start an organization dedicated to promoting awareness of sepsis to both medical professionals and patients. Sepsis Alliance is registered as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, and is a founding member of the Global Sepsis Alliance. For more information on Sepsis Alliance, please visit http://www.sepsisalliance.org.
Scott Carr, Sepsis Alliance, http://www.sepsisalliance.org, +1 (619) 232-0300, [email protected]
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