Hospitals on the North Olympic Peninsula have received display banners with gold stars that show an increase in patient safety, the Washington State Hospital Association said.
The association has awarded each of the three Peninsula hospitals — Jefferson Healthcare in Port Townsend, Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles and Forks Community Hospital — a Banner of Achievement.
“The banners were a way to celebrate our progress and the hard work everybody’s put into it,” said Rebecca Snyders, director of communications for Partnership for Patients at the hospital association.
She added that it has been exciting “to see people following best practices and watching a change in the data” received quarterly.
Patient safety
Each star represents the meeting of a goal to increase patient safety in one of 10 areas, ranging from adverse drug reactions to preventable readmissions.
Some of the stars represent a reduction in patient harm by at least 40 percent; others acknowledge that the hospitals had no harm to report, Snyders said.
“In some cases, they were already doing really well,” she said.
“Partnership for Patients is a national effort to help hospitals work together to improve quality,” said Mike Glenn, CEO of Jefferson Healthcare.
“We are excited to see that our work is paying off and that we are making noticeable improvements.
“This is going to be an ongoing effort, and while the numbers may vary from quarter to quarter, we believe we are on a path of continuous improvement.”
Many of the OMC stars are for taking measures to prevent infections, said Lorraine Wall, chief nursing officer for the hospital.
“We are doing very well in those areas and are quite pleased to be recognized for that work,” she said.
Here are the areas in which hospitals received stars:
Jefferson Healthcare
■ Catheter-associated urinary tract infections.
■ Central-line-associated bloodstream infections.
■ Pressure ulcers.
■ Surgical site infections, specifically of the colon, hip and knee.
■ Ventilator associated pneumonia.
Olympic Medical Center
■ Catheter-associated urinary tract infections.
■ Central-line-associated bloodstream infections.
■ Injuries from falls and immobility.
■ Surgical site infections.
■ Ventilator associated pneumonia.
■ Venous thromboembolism.
Forks Community Hospital
■ Obstetrical adverse events.
■ Pressure ulcers.
■ Venous thromboembolism.
Other areas rated through the program are adverse drug events and preventable readmissions.
The state hospital association is leading the national Partnership for Patients program in Washington state, Oregon and Alaska.
The program aims to reduce patient harm by an overall percentage of 40 percent and hospital readmissions by 20 percent by December through using best-management practices, Snyders said.
“It’s more about prevention than anything,” she said.
A lack of a star can mean that the hospital is still working on that area, Snyders said.
Or it can mean that the hospital didn’t report statistics for that area.
OMC reports in areas that officials feel are most important, said Wall, and just recently began reporting in some areas.
Hospitals can display the banners, which were received earlier this month.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid started the program in 2010, with baseline statistics being those reported in 2010-11, Snyders said.
More information on the state association’s Partnership for Patients program can be found at www.wsha.org.
