HOSPITALS RECEIVE PATIENT SAFETY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE
BURLINGTON - At the
Massachusetts Hospital Association (MHA) 70th Annual Meeting on June
15, MHA and the Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical
Errors (Coalition) presented a one-time only award for "Excellence in
Patient Safety" to four Massachusetts acute care hospitals.
The awards were based on the hospitals' success in implementing the two
MHA/Coalition Flagship Safety Initiatives - Reconciling Medications
(making sure patients' medications are coordinated throughout their
care), and Communicating Critical Test Results (ensuring that test
results are shared quickly and accurately with clinicians who can take
action).
Ever since the Massachusetts hospital community signed on to "Patients
First" - the groundbreaking initiative to make the state's health care
delivery system as safe as possible for both patients and caregivers -
hospitals have demonstrated their commitment to this goal by
integrating proven safety strategies into hospital processes of care.
The Coalition and MHA, with support from a federal grant through the
Massachusetts Department of Public Health, created a set of best
practices for reconciling medications and communicating critical test
results. MHA and the Coalition then provided support through a series
of statewide patient safety collaboratives to help hospitals implement
these practices. At the end of the Collaborative period, MHA and the
Coalition invited hospitals to apply for the one-time only Excellence
in Patient Safety award.
An awards panel of patient safety health care stakeholders identified
by MHA and the Coalition evaluated all submissions against the
following Award Criteria:
▪Measurable results in improving patient safety
▪Evidence that the hospital has been able to maintain the gains achieved;
▪Scope of improvement, as reflected in implementation throughout the hospital;
▪Engagement of patients and families.
Noble Hospital was one of the recipients of the MHA-Coalition Award for Reconciling Medications. Noble Hospital's
Continuous Quality Improvement Department (CQI) evaluated the
hospital's current process, and decided to hire a pharmacy technician
to perform daily rounds on all new admissions to ensure the accuracy of
medication list. A computerized Meditech form of the patient's current
medication list was developed and tried. The team also created a
discharge medication list from Meditech, which can be given to the
patient. Also, each patient is given a plastic folded wallet-size
holder with a medication card on one side and an area to hold insurance
cards on the other.
Other hospitals recognized were Milford Regional Medical Center, Mount
Auburn Hospital and Marlborough Hospital. A total of 17 programs were
nominated; all of the applicants showed remarkable progress in their
efforts to improve patient safety.
