Consultants

Kenneth G. Bast
Owner

Ken has provided operations, re-engineering, change management, strategic planning and quality improvement services to clients throughout the U.S.A.  He has utilized his expertise as a hospital CEO, international healthcare consulting firm consultant, hospital system based consultant , hospital Human Resources executive and Trauma Network Director to create the philosophy, process and execution of the Hospital Focus 5 methodology.

Throughout his career, Ken has been acknowledged for executive acumen. He has made presentations to Moody's and Standard and Poors, co-authored a chapter in a book called FutureCare, served as faculty in two graduate programs in healthcare management and as a member of the Governor's Council on Aging for the State of Missouri.  Ken has been an evaluator for the Minnesota Quality Award, an award which is based entirely on Baldrige Award criteria.  He currently serves as a board member of Walker Methodist, a multi-site provider of housing and care for the elderly.

Ken Bast has a Master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a B.S. in Business Administration from Marquette University.

M. Katherine Reller
Associate

M. Katherine Reller, RN, MS is a Nurse Executive and Consultant, with twenty-five years of clinical, operational, and quality program development experience at Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN. In addition, Katherine is an expert facilitator, responsible for training over 150 facilitators in team facilitation, effective meetings, quality tools and Lean. Katherine has specialized experienced in Quality Program development, having played a leadership role in the development and deployment of the Mayo Quality Program beginning in 1996.  Additional expertise includes ethnography/observation, change and transition management, process/system readiness, risk assessment, strategic planning, and customer centric service.

Ms. Reller's consulting experience covers a range from large academic medical centers, to community hospitals, ambulatory care centers and Canadian healthcare system hospitals.

Katherine holds a Bachelors degree in Nursing from Winona State University, and a Master's of Science degree in Nursing Administration from The University of Minnesota.

As an active member of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program, Katherine served on the Board of Examiners from 2003 to 2008. In addition, she is a senior member of the American Society for Quality, serves on the Board of Reviewers and is the Midwest five-state Regional Counselor. Katherine is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) and a Certified Manager of Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE).

Conferring Consultants
In addition, Hospital Focus 5 can provide the additional specialists needed for your situation.  Our group includes financial and marketing consultants, physicians, nurses and others who can round out the team as required.