MARYSVILLE – Community Memorial Healthcare (CMH), Marysville, is among 115 hospitals statewide being recognized for its exemplary achievements to improve patient safety, and one of only 14 hospitals in the state designated at the highest level of achievement.
The Kansas Healthcare Collaborative (KHC) recognized Kansas hospitals recently at the conclusion of the AHA/HRET Network – a major patient safety initiative spearheaded by the American Hospital Association/Health Research & Educational Trust (AHA/HRET) and coordinated in Kansas by KHC.
Community Memorial Healthcare received the “Highest Achievement with Distinction” recognition for working toward AHA/HRET Network goals set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to reduce hospital-acquired conditions and preventable readmissions.
Four levels of statewide recognition were possible:
- “Achievement” hospitals – worked continuously toward goals as part of the AHA Performance Improvement Network.
- “Achievement” hospitals – have achieved goals for both data submission and measure performance milestones.
- “Highest Achievement” hospitals – have achieved goals for both data submission and measure performance milestones, as well as one or more operational milestones (Health Equity and/or Patient and Family Engagement).
- “Highest Achievement with Distinction” utilizes a data-driven approach to identify up to 14 “Highest Achievement” hospitals that demonstrated distinction through their improvement achievements and engagement throughout the initiative.
“We are pleased to receive this special recognition of our team’s patient-focused efforts to provide the best care possible to those we serve,” said Curtis Hawkinson, chief executive officer at CMH. “Working with Kansas Healthcare Collaborative and its partners – as well as side-by-side with our peers across the state and with national experts – has provided our team the opportunity to advance patient safety and health outcomes more efficiently and effectively.”
Since October 2016, more than 115 Kansas hospitals have worked collaboratively with KHC to achieve a 20 percent reduction in hospital-acquired conditions and a 12 percent reduction in 30-day hospital readmissions, from 2014 baselines. Participating hospitals placed special focus on reducing patient harm, such as falls, adverse drug events, hospital-acquired infections, and pressure injuries. Hospitals also made progress in implementing key strategies for promoting health equity and patient and family engagement.
Hospitals across the state and nation have been working since 2010 to achieve national patient safety goals established by federal agencies. Nationwide, between 2010 and 2015, an estimated 125,000 fewer patients died in a hospital, and approximately $22.8 billion in healthcare costs were saved as a result in reductions in hospital-acquired conditions, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
“We extend our congratulations and gratitude to all the hospitals across Kansas who participated in the AHA/HRET Network,” said KHC Executive Director Allison Peterson DeGroff. “For several years, this community of collaborative peers has inspired and driven each other to excel in leading data-driven quality improvement. It is challenging work – and it is critical work. Each hospital’s incremental changes lead to an exponential impact on the lives of patients and their families.”
The AHA/HRET Network included more than 1,600 hospitals across 34 states and U.S. territories. The initiative was supported by CMS under contract number HHSM-500-2016-00067C.
More information available at www.khconline.org/HIIN.
About the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative
KHC is a provider-led 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a mission to transform health care through patient-centered initiatives that improve quality, safety, and value. Founded in 2008 by the Kansas Hospital Association and the Kansas Medical Society, KHC embodies the commitment of two of the state’s leading health care provider groups to act as a resource and continually enhance the quality of care provided to Kansans.
About Community Memorial Healthcare
Community Memorial Healthcare (CMH) is a not-for-profit, 25-bed critical access hospital offering emergency, acute care, obstetrics, surgical, ancillary, and outpatient services in addition to operating three rural health clinics, home health services, a durable medical equipment store, and contract services of physical, occupational and speech therapies, dialysis clinic, and anesthesia.
With over 200 employees, seven family physicians, six nurse practitioners, a general surgeon, a certified nurse anesthetist, and a host of volunteers, CMH shares a commitment to providing quality care for people living and working in Marshall and surrounding counties. Its outpatient referral clinic offers a wide range of specialty services provided by over 37 consulting physicians from Manhattan, Kan., and Lincoln, Neb. Specialist clinics offered include audiology, cardiology, ear, nose & throat, nephrology, neurology, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, plastic surgery, podiatry, pulmonology, and urology practices.
CMH is the only hospital in Marshall County, and is a safety net provider of healthcare services to the county and surrounding areas. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year providing care and services to all individuals, regardless of their ability to pay. Each year the hospital provides over $1 million in uncompensated care. Their mission, “To excel at caring for you,” represents a fusion of healing and compassion that signifies CMH’s commitment to meeting the community’s healthcare needs. Learn more at www.cmhcare.org.