Ruth Elzer, RN, MS

Principal, Accreditation and Compliance Services

Ruth Elzer is an expert at keeping hospitals compliant. Trained as a nurse, and later as a hospital surveyor, Ruth understands healthcare quality on both the clinical and administrative levels. She has the unique ability to see every facet of a compliance issue, drawing from a deep knowledge of many regulatory bodies. As the Practice Leader for Accreditation and Compliance Services at Compass Clinical Consulting, Ruth gives clients practical solutions that work across the board.

Before specializing in accreditation and compliance, Ruth worked for St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, IL. As a cardiovascular nurse and case manager, she came to understand the clinical realities of regulatory compliance. She later translated this knowledge into her work with The Joint Commission (TJC), where she managed the development of educational programs designed to help hospitals prepare for regulatory survey. There, Ruth was trained as a surveyor for not only The Joint Commission, but also the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and EMTALA.

Since joining Compass in 2000, Ruth has used her knowledge to provide tools and services that help hospitals simplify the task of regulatory compliance.  Her knowledge of CMS and TJC means that Compass clients understand where the requirements of the two bodies overlap, and where they don’t. She grasps the complexities of even the trickiest standards and uses her clinical training to solve common problem in creative ways that still work on the ground.

A nationally recognized speaker, Ruth is a member of the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) and the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). She holds a Master of Science degree from Governors State University in Illinois.