Practical Application of a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) in the Healthcare Setting with Paul Henkel and Mary Jo Giaccone

About the Webinar

This webinar is intended as an introduction into the use of the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) in Healthcare. The context will be the use of FMEAs at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The presenters will start with a foundational discussion of the general purpose and construct of FMEAs. This will be followed by a more in depth look at the relationship between FMEAs and the Safety and Regulatory environment. Actual examples and scenarios from quality improvement work at Cincinnati Children’s will be used to illustrate the concepts.

Learning Objectives
• Understand the structure and components of a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
• Identify when the use of an FMEA might be appropriate in your healthcare setting

Intended Audience
This webinar is intended for healthcare leaders and quality improvement professionals.

About the Presenters

Paul Henkel is Director of Quality Improvement Consulting at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. He received a BS in Oceanography from the United States Naval Academy and an MBA from the University of Michigan. He served for ten years as an Officer in the United States Navy in a variety of aviation roles. He then transitioned to Operations Management in the Retirement Services Industry, directing back office transaction processing for corporate retirement plans. Next, he began his career in healthcare by serving as the VP of Operations for Schulman Institutional Review Board. Finally, Mr. Henkel has been directing quality improvement work with Cincinnati Children’s for over five years.


Mary Jo Giaccone is the Director of Patient Safety, Regulatory & Accreditation at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC).  She began her nursing career 26 years ago in Illinois and has been at CCHMC since 1999.  She is a graduate from Northern Kentucky University with a Master’s Degree in Nursing Administration and is a Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS).   

As the Director of Patient Safety, Regulatory & Accreditation, she provides operational leadership and management of the Patient Safety Program, and all things related to Regulatory & Accreditation in clinical areas.   Mary Jo & her team work collaboratively with leaders and staff throughout the organization to assess ongoing safety and regulatory risk, performance of evidence based safe practices, make recommendations for improvement, facilitate the redesign of systems to continually improve patient safety and ongoing regulatory readiness.

Time and Date