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Joint Commission
Accreditation
OSF Saint Anthony a Quality Leader
Patient Satisfaction and Service
Quality
Quality
Reports
Saving
5 Million Lives Campaign
OSF Saint Anthony Recognized As A Quality Leader
2 Groups Applaud Efforts To Improve Care, Share Information
OSF Saint Anthony was recently recognized by the Midwest Business
Group on Health (MBGH), a Chicago-based, non-profit group,
for being one of three Illinois hospitals that fully complies
with 27 safety practices endorsed by the National Quality Forum.
"OSF
Saint Anthony continues to be at the forefront of national
efforts
to improve the quality of healthcare," said Robert S. White, MD, assistant
administrator for medical services at OSF Saint Anthony. "We are dedicated
to the use of National Quality Forum safety practices, which are proven ways
to improve patient safety. The entire medical center staff is dedicated to providing
consistently high quality care to the communities we serve."
The National Quality Forum is a private, not-for-profit membership organization
created to develop and implement a national strategy for healthcare quality measurement
and reporting. The 27 safety practices endorsed by the National Quality Forum
include:
- Creating
a culture of safety that is hospital wide.
- Using effective
methods of preventing central venous catheter-associated
infections.
- Standardizing
the labeling, packaging and storing of medications.
- Performing
an evaluation of surgical patients prior to surgery to determine
their risk of developing a surgical site infection and providing appropriate
preventative
antibiotics.
In addition,
OSF Saint Anthony is one of 37 Illinois hospitals that have
embraced the concept of publicly reporting
efforts to reduce
medical errors. A January
survey conducted by the Leapfrog Group asked hospitals to report
progress in meeting four "leaps" to better patient
safety. Those leaps are:
- A computerized
order entry system to enter patient prescriptions and other
orders into computers linked to error prevention software.
- Hospital
critical care units staffed with critical care specialists.
- Patient
outcomes related to selected high-risk procedures.
- Efforts
taken to enact the 27 safe practice recommendations of the
National
Quality Forum.
"Leapfrog
provides an objective assessment of actions that hospitals are
taking to become safer," said Carol Wilhoit,
MD, medical director, HMO Illinois. "As
health plans move towards rewarding performance,
objective measures such as Leapfrog become more
important."
The Leapfrog
Group's mission is to trigger giant leaps forward in the safety,
quality and affordability
of
healthcare. Large
private and
public sector health
benefits purchasers representing more than
36
million enrollees are
part of the Leapfrog Group. Members include
DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Honeywell
Inc.,
United Parcel Service and the American Federation
of Teachers. "At OSF
Saint Anthony, we believe it is a natural extension of our Mission
to serve others that we share information concerning
the steps we are taking to improve the quality of care we provide
with the public," said Dr. White. "Transparency
in our programs is vital to maintaining the
public's trust in our care."
MBGH represents
more than 65 employers who provide coverage for approximately
800,000
lives. It leads
the Leapfrog
Group's efforts
to promote quality
and safe practices in Illinois.
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