Two Central Georgia Health System Hospitals Recognized for Safety
Two Central Georgia Health System Hospitals Recognized for Safety
MCCG, MCPC Named to Georgia Hospital Association's Hospital Engagement Network Safety Leaders Circle
ATLANTA (Monday, October 14, 2013) - The Medical Center of Central Georgia (MCCG) in Macon, Ga. and The Medical Center of Peach County (MCPC) in Byron, Ga. – both entities of Central Georgia Health System (CGHS) – have been named to the Georgia Hospital Association's (GHA) Hospital Engagement Network (HEN) Safety Leaders Circle, which recognizes hospitals' improvements in patient care for the second quarter of 2013. MCCG is one of 11 hospitals in Georgia to place in the Chairman's Circle, and MCPC is one of 13 hospitals to place in the Presidential Circle, two of the highest categories on the list.
Both hospitals are participants in the GHA HEN, an initiative begun last year that is part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service's (CMS) Partnership for Patients. GHA, through its Partnership for Health and Accountability (PHA), is one of 26 organizations nationally to be awarded federal funding to coordinate the implementation of a series of projects with hospitals. The goals of these projects are to reduce hospital-acquired conditions (HAC) by 40 percent and hospital readmissions by 20 percent by the end of 2013. According to data provided by GHA, Georgia hospitals have prevented almost 9,300 incidents of harm, resulting in savings ranging from $59 million to $63 million. MCCG and MCPC were key contributors to this savings.
To achieve these goals, there are major directives from CMS regarding improved care in
10 focus areas: Four are related to hospital-acquired infections (HAI); four are related to HACs; one is related to obstetrics (OB) and trying to eliminate elective deliveries before 39 weeks; and one is related to transition of care and reduction of readmissions. As part of their participation in the GHA HEN, hospitals selected two of these areas on which to focus in 2012. Scores for the Safety Leaders Circle are based on several criteria, including a database that measures hospitals' improvement in their respective selected areas.
“Thanks to the leadership and commitment of The Medical Centers of Central Georgia and Peach County, we have made great progress in achieving the significant life-saving goals of this important initiative. We are proud to recognize the hard work of both hospitals' staffs and applaud Central Georgia Health System's efforts and commitment to ensuring the reduction of infections and readmissions,” said Earl Rogers, president of GHA.
“All entities of Central Georgia Health System are committed to providing the highest standards of safety and quality care. To have two of our hospitals selected for this prestigious award is quite an honor, and a testimony to the exemplary patient care that our employees provide on a daily basis. Thanks to their leadership and commitment, we, along with other facilities that support the GHA indicatives to improve care, are contributing to better outcomes for patients,” said Dr. Fady Wanna, Chief Clinical Officer and Chief Medical Officer for CGHS.