Atrium Health Navicent Receives Statewide Patient Safety Awards
Health system honored for achievement in reducing risk of medical errors and improving patient safety and medical outcomes
The Partnership for Health and Accountability (PHA) has presented four of its prestigious Patient Safety and Quality Awards to Atrium Health Navicent. These annual awards recognize Georgia health care organizations for achievement in reducing the risk of medical errors and improving patient safety and medical outcomes.
“These projects are examples of how Atrium Health Navicent teammates are living our culture commitments to ‘innovate to better the now and create the future,’ while earning trust and working ‘as one team to make great things happen’ in our continued ‘drive for excellence’,” said Atrium Health Navicent President and CEO Delvecchio Finley. “We’d like to thank the Partnership for Health and Accountability for recognizing our teammates’ work to improve patient safety and provide high quality care.”
Monroe County Hospital, an Atrium Health Navicent Partner, won second place in the Critical Access Hospitals category for its project “Safer Together: Maximizing Patient Safety Through Variance Reporting.” The project increased and destigmatized the reporting of incidents and near-miss events — or variances — which is shown to improve patient care. In addition to increasing access to reporting applications, a systematic method of review was developed. The work was completed by Monroe County Hospital’s Quality and Patient Safety team led by Quality Coordinator and Patient Safety Officer Chasatie Whitley.
Atrium Health Navicent won third place in the Hospitals with Greater Than 300 Beds category for its project “Collaborative Shows Early Success in Reducing MRSA,” which reduced MRSA infection rates. An interdisciplinary team worked to identify workflow barriers and employed strategies to improve infection prevention and control including fostering a partnership between health system teammates and patients and their family members. As a result of the project, teammates were able to grow skills and knowledge while refining and monitoring processes and outcomes to provide the safest, highest quality of care. Teammates from Infection Prevention, Patient Care Services, Environmental Services, Information Services and Education were key stakeholders in the project.
Atrium Health Navicent won third place in the Hospital/Health Systems category for its project “Radiation Dose Reduction for Computed Tomography Adult Brain.” The project studied ways to reduce the needed radiation dose for adult brain CT scans while continuing to provide quality images for radiologists. It resulted in new uniform protocols including patient positioning and other processes and a 15 percent reduction in radiation needed for the procedure. The work has been a key focus for Atrium Health Navicent’s Clinical Optimization Meso and Radiology Micro teams led by Radiology Education and Quality Coordinator Kristel Kirchner and Director of Radiology Twilla Hulett.
Atrium Health Navicent was also presented with a Circle of Excellence Award, an honor given to hospitals and health systems that have demonstrated a sustained commitment to quality and patient safety as evidenced by not only winning a patient safety award in 2021, but by earning three or more PHA Patient Safety Awards within the previous five years.
“Hospitals are diligently working each day to ensure the safety of their patients, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Georgia Hospital Association President and CEO Earl Rogers. “We applaud Atrium Health Navicent and Monroe County Hospital for their successes and for making critical progress in patient safety while ensuring the best and safest care possible for patients.”
About Atrium Health Navicent
Atrium Health Navicent is the leading provider of healthcare in central and south Georgia and is committed to its mission of elevating health and well-being through compassionate care. Atrium Health Navicent provides high-quality, personalized care in 53 specialties at more than 50 facilities throughout the region. As part of the largest, integrated, nonprofit health system in the Southeast, it is also able to tap into some of the nation’s leading medical experts and specialists with Atrium Health, allowing it to provide the best care close to home – including advanced innovations in virtual medicine and care. Throughout its 125-year history in the community, Atrium Health Navicent has remained dedicated to enhancing health and wellness for individuals throughout the region through nationally recognized quality care, community health initiatives and collaborative partnerships. It is also one of the leading teaching hospitals in the region, helping to ensure viability for rural health care for the next generation. For more information, please visit www.NavicentHealth.org.
About PHA
The Partnership for Health and Accountability (PHA), an affiliate of GHA, was established in January 2000 to improve patient care and patient safety in hospitals and other health care facilities and create healthy communities.
About GHA
Founded in 1929, GHA serves more than 150 hospitals in Georgia and promotes the health and welfare of the public through the development of better hospital care for all Georgia’s citizens. The mission of GHA is to advance the health of individuals and communities by serving as the leading advocate for all Georgia hospitals and health care systems. GHA represents its members before the General Assembly and Congress, as well as state and federal regulatory agencies, and is an allied member of the American Hospital Association. For more information, please call 770-249-4500 or visit gha.org.