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About Us
David K. Brake
Co-Founder & CEO
With over 25 years of experience in educational, professional, and technology-based publishing, David is part of an AI-driven transformation in information publishing. He started his career with a renowned medical publishing company that is now part of Elsevier Health. He is the founder and current CEO of The Grandview Group, a consulting company whose client list includes Wolters Kluwer Health, Crisis Prevention Institute, McGraw Hill, Wiley, Pearson, and EBSCO. He was the consulting publisher for the Workplace Violence Prevention Handbook for Healthcare.
Kimberly A. Urbanek
Co-founder, Chief of Innovation & Practice
A leading Workplace Violence Prevention expert with over 25 years of healthcare, security, and first responder experience, Kim is a nationally sought-after speaker, a #1 best-selling author, and a recognized healthcare consultant. She is a pioneer and thought-leader in the Security industry, and an award-winning recipient for “Excellence in Security Operations.” Kim offers unique expertise, as she combines her years of clinical, bed-side experience with her years of security leadership expertise to eradicate violence. Kim authored the Workplace Violence Prevention Handbook for Healthcare, a first-of-its-kind publication, and has been featured in numerous other articles and podcasts by prestigious healthcare agencies.
Erin K. Parker
Director of Operations
Erin oversees and manages the company's day-to-day operations, ensuring that OPTICS’ technology and product support resources facilitate an exceptional customer experience. With 25 years of experience managing digital publishing products, online education and training programs, she brings a strong customer-centric approach to this role. Prior to joining OPTICS, Erin worked in various capacities including operations, production, user experience research, and product development for The Grandview Group, The American Psychological Association, and Reed-Elsevier.
Sakthi Veerapathiran
Director of Technology Development
Sakthi brings almost 20 years of publishing technology experience to this crucial role. He oversees the Agile product development process, managing the work of OPTICS’ team of software engineers, AI engineers, data scientists, and quality assurance testers. Working closely with the Director of Operations, one of Sakthi’s key role is to ensure that the OPTICS platform serves the needs and meets the high performance standards of its healthcare clients.
An Assessment Tool to Reduce
Violence in Your Workplace
The Problem:
Before this day is over...
More than 2,000 nurses and nursing assistants will experience some form of physical violence during their shift
Healthcare workers face 5X more workplace violence than private industry employees
80 healthcare workers will take time off from work due to violence-related injuries
Incidents requiring time off are 10.2 per 10,000 for healthcare workers vs 1.9 for other industries
240 nurses will leave the profession
Experiencing one violent incident increases turnover probability by 40%
46,000 patients will experience care delays
Following one violent incident in a unit/facility, patient wait times increase by 19 minutes, patient complaints increase 37%, and patient satisfaction scores decrease by 8.8 points
The Real Costs of Workplace Violence
Workplace violence extends well beyond the immediate incident, ultimately impacting both bottom line performance and the quality of care delivered to patients.
Quality of Patient Care
Studies show a direct correlation between workplace violence and quality of patient care. In units where workers experience more violence, there are higher rates of cognitive errors, decreased decision-making ability, and lower empathy scores
Liability & Legal Costs
Healthcare organizations face risk, liability, and legal exposures related to workplace violence incidents. A settlement related to workplace violence can cost an organization millions of dollars.
Medical Expenses
Healthcare workers who experience workplace violence may require medical treatment, counseling, or time off work to recover. An OSHA study found that the average cost of a single workplace violence incident requiring medical treatment is $32,000.
Lost Productivity
Workplace violence incidents lead to lost productivity due to absenteeism, reduced performance, and increased turnover. A study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine estimated that the annual cost of lost productivity due to workplace violence in the healthcare industry is approximately $1.1 billion.
Employee Engagement
Experiencing or witnessing workplace violence was associated with a 31-point decrease in engagement metrics. Each engagement point can be associated with a $327 cost impact of workplace violence per employee
Staff Turnover & Recruiting
Healthcare workers who experience workplace violence are more likely to leave their jobs, resulting in increased turnover and associated hiring, onboarding, and training costs.
The Solution:
OPTICS for Healthcare
The OPTICS platform transforms workplace violence prevention from a complex challenge into a manageable process that saves time, achieves compliance, and facilitates a safer work environment for the healthcare professionals you employ. Here’s what OPTICS delivers:
The comprehensive OPTICS Assessment is the first step in the process. It is used to establish your “current state” and also maps library & regulatory content to your responses.
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Designed to be a confidential internal report, the GAP Analysis provides a detailed look at current state conditions accompanied by recommendations and action steps that will help the organization mitigate risk, improve compliance, and provide for a safer overall work environment for healthcare staff.
The Critical Content Library, a collaboration tool that provides access to a topic-based repository of expert policy and playbook content as well as updated regulatory content. Smart Chat function facilitates stakeholder conversations and collaboration.
Designated staff receive automated Alerts and Compliance Info (regulatory updates, articles, and risk mitigation topics) via email or text. Alerts are tagged for inclusion in policy and playbook updates and revisions.
Customized Policy and Playbook Drafts are auto-generated and formatted for internal review and approval. Drafts are aligned with each organization's OPTICS Assessment. Final versions can be distributed in multiple formats and archived for future use.