Gwen Smith, left, president of Springfield Hospital, celebrates with the VHA Leadership Award for Clinical Excellence Acute Care Center nurses, left to right, Denise Moriarty, R.N., Jei Park, R.N., Lisa Schmidt, R.N. (nurse manager), Maria Chandy, R.N., and Susan Serviano, R.N.
SPRINGFIELD - Springfield Hospital was recently honored with a 2008 VHA Leadership Award for Clinical Excellence for meeting and exceeding national performance standards for clinical care in the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia.
The hospital’s Acute Care Center had no cases of ventilator-associated pneumonia for 12 consecutive months. Springfield Hospital was one of only 116 hospitals nationwide to receive a Leadership Award for Clinical Excellence, and one of only 49 hospitals to be honored for this particular area.
VHA tracked hospital performance from one quarter to the next and only recognized hospitals that continued to show improvement each quarter, or whose average scores across these measures put the hospital at the top of the nation.
“This prestigious honor was made possible by the hard work and expertise of Springfield Hospital’s physicians, nurses and staff members. Each day, our patients benefit from their dedication to quality care,” says Gwen Smith, president of Springfield Hospital.
Joan Richards, president and chief executive officer of Crozer-Keystone Health System, says, “Today’s health care consumers frequently research information about a hospital’s quality before choosing where to go for their care. Because of this, Crozer-Keystone has challenged its caregivers to strive for the highest standards of patient care. Clearly, Springfield Hospital is responding to this challenge. Congratulations to everyone involved in achieving this outstanding honor.”
According to Lisa Schmidt, R.N., nurse manager of the Acute Care Center, the hospital avoided instances of ventilator-assisted pneumonia by following evidence-based medicine (EBM) standards. These standards include making sure that patients have:
- The approved level of sedation
- Their heads elevated to 30 degrees
- Weaning assessments
- Adequate nutritional support
- PUD prophylaxis
- DVT prophylaxis
- Glycemic control.
“We have also introduced daily evidence-based medicine rounds, in which a multidisciplinary team checks to make sure that all appropriate EBM measures are being followed,” says pulmonary physician Gerald Meis, D.O., medical director of the Acute Care Center.
“Everyone who contributes to the care of patients in the Acute Care Center has benefited from the health system’s dedication to providing education about evidence-based medicine and quality. Our entire team has grasped the concept, and they all deserve to be congratulated for this achievement,” Schmidt says.
VHA Inc., based in Irving, Texas, is a national alliance that provides industry-leading supply chain management services and supports the formation of regional and national networks to help members improve their clinical and economic performance. With 16 offices across the U.S., VHA has a track record of proven results in serving more than 1,400 not-for-profit hospitals and more than 21,000 non-acute health care organizations nationwide.
For more information about Springfield Hospital, visit www.crozer.org.