Needlesticks and bloodborne pathogen exposures are more than just workplace injuries. They’re personal, emotional, and preventable. With thousands of cases reported annually in U.S. hospitals, addressing this issue is critical to staff safety and organizational culture.

On this episode of Key In To Quality, Melanie Swift, M.D., Associate Medical Director for Occupational Health, and Seth Clarenbach from Mayo Clinic’s staff safety team, discuss how Mayo is tackling this challenge head-on through policy, engineering, and culture change.

Learn how the multidisciplinary "BEEPERS" committee uses frontline insights and injury data to identify patterns, improve sharps container design, and champion best practices like hands-free passing in surgical settings. The conversation also highlights persistent barriers, like underreporting and risk normalization, and what organizations can do to shift that mindset.

This episode offers key takeaways for healthcare leaders, occupational safety teams, nurses, and quality improvement professionals committed to creating a safer healthcare environment.

Host: Timothy Morgenthaler, M.D. | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timorgenthaler/

Host: Sheri Nemec| https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheryl-sheri-nemec-a627982a/

#mayokeyintoquality

Workplace culture, data insights, and emotional connection all play a critical role in how patients and staff experience care. At Mayo Clinic, understanding and improving these elements is essential to advancing quality.

On this episode of the Key In To Quality podcast, Sunanda Kane, M.D. Chief Patient Experience Officer at Mayo Clinic, returns to share how her team is tackling the complex interplay between patient satisfaction, staff well-being, and data-informed decision-making.

Learn how Mayo Clinic has trained over 21,000 staff members in experience-centered care, established a conduct work unit to address rising incidents of workplace violence, and partnered with Qualtrics to analyze patient feedback through advanced AI and real-time dashboards. Dr. Kane also highlights how gathering emotional, story-driven insights from patients can lead to actionable improvements across the system.

This episode offers practical strategies for anyone working to create a more human, safe, and responsive healthcare environment. It’s especially valuable for patient experience leaders, quality improvement professionals, hospital administrators, and anyone passionate about building trust through care.

Host: Timothy Morgenthaler, M.D. | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timorgenthaler/

Host: Sheri Nemec| https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheryl-sheri-nemec-a627982a/

#mayokeyintoquality

What truly defines a great patient experience? From appointment scheduling and facility navigation to virtual visits and provider communication, every step plays a role in how patients feel, trust, and heal.

In this episode of Key In To Quality, Mayo Clinic’s Chief Patient Experience Officer, Sunanda Kane, M.D. joins co-hosts Timothy Morgenthaler, M.D. and Sheri Nemec to discuss how Mayo Clinic is transforming patient experience across physical and digital spaces.

With decades of experience in clinical care, quality improvement, and leadership, Dr. Kane breaks down the difference between satisfaction and experience, the role of warmth and competence in building trust, and how AI and telehealth are changing care delivery.

Listeners will walk away with practical ideas to elevate patient care and experience—starting with a simple smile or a well-placed sign. This episode is valuable for patient experience leaders, clinicians, hospital administrators, digital health innovators, quality improvement professionals, and anyone invested in creating human-centered healthcare.

Host: Timothy Morgenthaler, M.D. | https://www.linkedin.com/in/timorgenthaler/

Host: Sheri Nemec| https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheryl-sheri-nemec-a627982a/

#mayokeyintoquality