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Faith Regional Awards
2006 - VHA Award Recognizes Outstanding Care of Surgical Patients
VHA Inc., a national health care alliance, has recognized Faith Regional for providing excellent care to surgical patients.
“We are one of only 22 hospitals to receive this award for surgical care, and the award validates the dedicated focus of our clinical staff and physicians to improve the care provided to our surgical patients,” said Mary Meyer, director of Organizational Improvement. “Preventing infections following surgery is a key objective of our surgical team. To ensure the proper outcome, our staff focuses on national indicators of quality.”
“Our participation in VHA’s Surgical Infection Prevention program helped us achieve a higher level of performance in this aspect of patient care,” said Meyer. This is the second VHA Leadership Award for Clinical Excellence awarded to Faith Regional. In 2005, the hospital was recognized for their excellence in heart attack care.
The hospital achieved at least a 90 percent compliance with all rate-based indicators to qualify for the award. Indicators are measured based on the following procedure groups: coronary artery bypass grafting, cardiac surgery, hip arthroplasty, knee arthroplasty, colon surgery, hysterectomy and vascular surgery.
The next surgical quality initiative at Faith Regional will be the prevention of surgical complication. “While this quality collaborative will continue to focus on infection prevention, it will also include care to prevent cardiac events, respiratory complication and thromboembolic events,” Meyer added.
2006 - Barta is "Hospice Volunteer of the Year" by NHPCP
Rita Barta of Norfolk was nominated by Faith Regional Hospice and recognized by the Nebraska Hospice and Palliative Care Partnership (NHPCP) as “Volunteer of the Year.”
The NHPCP selects a Hospice Volunteer from each of their member Hospice organizations. Rita Barta was one of 23 other volunteers chosen across the state of Nebraska. The award is given to individuals who have shown true commitment and outstanding dedication to the Hospice philosophy of care.
Rita promoted quality Hospice care over the past year. She displayed openness to the needs of patients while reverencing the dignity of all areas of diversity. She has been a volunteer for eight years.
“Hospice volunteers are an essential part of the hospice philosophy of care which recognizes that dying is not just a medical event, but a personal one as well,” said Jean Suehl, director of Home Health and Hospice.
2005 - Faith Regional Receives VHA Leadership Award for Clinical Excellence
Faith Regional Health Services has received
the 2005 Leadership Award for clinical excellence from
VHA, Inc., a national health care provider alliance, for
treatment of patients suffering from acute myocardial
infarction (AMI), commonly known as heart attack. Faith
Regional is one of only 92 VHA member hospitals to receive
the award. There are more than 1,200 hospitals in the
VHA network.
Karen Tesina, director of cardiovascular
services, says the award is an honor and an affirmation
of the passion and dedication with which the entire cardiac
team has approached improving care. “The award is
based on the hospital’s performance measured against
a set of nationally accepted standards of care for cardiac
patients,” Tesina said.
“These measures are evidence-based
and are being used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services (CMS) and the Joint Commission on Accreditation
of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) for public reporting,”
Tesina explains. By including them as a part of the plan
of care for our cardiac patients, we can monitor and measure
the overall rate of improvement in outcomes.”
According to Doug Welsh, M.D., a cardiologist
at Faith Regional CardioVascular Institute, the focus
on clinical improvement has been a team effort. “What
is most gratifying is that by focusing on implementing
these standardized treatment protocols, we have found
a common rallying point for the entire cardiac clinical
staff,” Dr. Welsh said. “The staff is more
engaged and the patients are benefiting from improved
care.”
The AMI measures used as criteria for
the 2005 Leadership Award for clinical excellence include:
• Aspirin prescribed at patient’s arrival.
• Aspirin prescribed at time of patient’s
discharge.
• ACE inhibitor.
• Smoking cessation advice/counseling provided to
patient prior to discharge.
• Beta blocker prescribed at time of patient’s
arrival.
• Beta blocker prescribed at time of patient’s
discharge.
• Amount of time until coronary angioplasty (PTCA)
initiated.
Faith Regional achieved at least a 90
percent compliance with all rate-based indicators to qualify
for the award. The median time for delivery of thrombolysis
was equal to or less than 30 minutes. And, the median
time until PTCA was initiated was equal to or less than
120 minutes. According to the National Registry of Myocardial
Infarction (NRMI) data, Faith Regional’s average
door-to-dilation time is 81 minutes.
“This award represents a milestone
in our clinical improvement efforts and we will use it
to reaffirm our commitment to our patients and to our
community,” Tesina said.
2005 - Faith Regional Home Health Awarded Certificate of Achievement
In January of 2005, CIMRO of Nebraska recognized Faith Regional Home Health with a Certificate of Achievement. The award states CIMRO applauds Faith Regional Home Health, "for your dedication and commitment to provide quality healthcare in your community. Through your efforts, you were able to make improvements that were statistically significant in the Management of Oral Medications outcome by January 2005."
Every patient admitted at Faith Regional an assessment. It reviews how the patient is managing their own medications. Again on discharge, we assess this same aspect. Our patients have shown significant improvement in this activity.
2005 -
Faith Regional Health Services Receives Isolation Capacity Grant From Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
Faith Regional Health Services has been awarded a grant for the purchase of isolation and personal protective equipment under the Isolation Capacity Grant from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services System. The grant will assist in providing protection for the public from bioterorrism, public health threats, emergencies, and other outbreaks of infectious disease.
According to an assessment done by the Nebraska Health and Human Services System, in order for hospitals to be prepared to respond appropriately to a highly infectious disease event and to ensure the safety of facilities and staff, resources need to be devoted to enhancing the equipment that may be used in responding to the release and presence of a threatening biological agent, or to care for patients with confirmed or suspected highly infectious diseases.
Faith Regional is one of seven hospitals included in the four Nebraska Bioterrorism Hospital Preparedness Regions. These regions ensure that Nebraska hospitals have the capacity to maintain, in negative pressure isolation, at least ten suspected cases of highly infectious diseases. Examples of such cases are small pox, pneumonic plague, SARS, influenza hemorrhagic fevers, or any other febrile patient with a suspicious rash or other symptom of concern that might possibly develop into a potentially highly contagious disease.
Up to $55,500 will be made available through this grant. Faith Regional will be eligible to receive reimbursement for the purchase of isolation capacity equipment such as Personal Protective Equipment (3M Aire-Mate), Portable Isolation Equipment, and Differential Pressure Monitors (Manometer).
 2004 - Faith Regional
Receives Edgerton Quality Award Again
October 2004 Faith Regional Health Services was awarded the 2004 Edgerton Quality Award for Progress by Nebraska Governor Mike Johanns. The award was for the hospital's commitment to quality patient care. The Edgerton Quality Awards Program is patterned after the prestigious Malcom Baldrige National Quality Award Program recognized around the world.
The
Edgerton Quality Awards are given to Nebraska
organizations. Named after Harold E. "Doc" Edgerton,
a Nebraska native who perfected the stroboscopic
flash during his years at MIT, the award
has come to embody the essence of the true
quality process, be it end products and
services, or the path taken to get there.
The most important thing about the Edgerton
Award is the wau an organization continues
to improve over time. Edgerton award particpants
engage in a program that asks for nothing
less than excellence.
"The Edgerton Quality Award Program validates our improvement efforts and helps us think of healthcare as an important sector in the service world," stated Mary Meyer, director of Quality and Accreditation at Faith Regional. "Providing
the highest quality care to our patients
is a goal that our employees work everyday
to achieve."
2004 - Faith Regional Health Services Sports Medicine Program Receives Award
Faith Regional Health Services Sports Medicine was named "Northeast Community College Hawks Business Booster of the Year" for 2003-2004. Marvin Hall, Director of Rehabilitation Services at Faith Regional Health Services, received a plaque from Angie McKleen, Northeast Community College Director of Development, on behalf of the coaches of Northeast Community College (NECC) at a dinner during a recent golf tournament hosted by Faith Regional Sports Medicine.
"On behalf of the Athletic Department, Hawks Booster Club, and coaches at Northeast Community College, I want to thank Faith Regional Health Services Sports Medicine for their financial support and their athletic training services provided for the basketball teams, summer Northeast Nebraska All-Star Basketball and Volleyball games, the summer basketball camps, and being available on-call after hours," said Jerry Holmberg, NECC Athletic Director. "All of this support is greatly appreciated."
Recipients of the award are selected for their support of the athletic programs at Northeast by contributing financially, by contributing in kind product, or providing services or a combination of the three. The process involves being nominated and voted on by the Northeast Booster Club Board of Directors. Faith Regional Health Services Sports Medicine is the fourth organization to receive this award.
2004 -
Faith Regional Health Services honored with Advocacy Team of the Year Award
Lincoln, NE - At the Nebraska Hospital Association's 2004 Advocacy Day event on March 4, the NHA recognized Faith Regional Health Services with the 2003 Advocacy Team of the Year Award. The award is presented annually to one hospital advocacy team for outstanding grassroots efforts, impacting health care legislation at the state and federal levels.
Faith Regional worked at the federal level to fight Medicaid reimbursement cuts, promote AHEC (Area Health Education Center) funding, receive a professional shortage area designation and restrain the rocketing costs of medical liability insurance.
At the state level, Faith Regional employees met with their senator to discuss Medicaid reimbursement, AHEC funding, tax exempt status, charity care, the closing of Richard Young hospital in Omaha, mental health reform, professional shortage area designation, provider payment cuts to hospitals, and maintaining Nebraska's medical liability cap.
By building strong relationships with their state and federal delegates, Faith Regional has become a valued resource for health care issue information among delegates.
Sally McKenzie, director of outreach, and Patrick Roche, vice president of mission services, accepted the award on behalf of Faith Regional Health Services.
The Nebraska Hospital Association serves as the unified voice for Nebraska's hospitals and health systems, helping hospitals provide comprehensive care to their communities. The NHA provides advocacy, communication, educational programs and data information to its member hospitals.
2003 - Transitional Care Unit At Faith Regional Health Services Is Named To The Nation's Top 150 Best Performing Long-term Care Facilities
One hundred and fifty long-term care facilities have received "AAA" status on a list of the nation's top-performing nursing homes, according to the list's creator CareScout. Of these 150 facilities, four were from Nebraska, including Faith Regional's Transitional Care Unit (TCU).
According to the privately-owned nursing home rating company based in Massachusettes, a total of 16,400 government certified nursing home facilities were reviewed. The company's rating designations range from "D" to "AAA."
To achieve a "AAA" current state rating, nursing homes must meet exceptional quality of life and care requirements, maintaining full compliance with all eldercare laws and regulations, and be free of any health deficiencies as noted by state and federal officials, during the nursing home's most recent unannounced inspection survey.
"We don't hear enough about the nursing homes who are doing a great job delivering care," said CareScout President and CEO Robert Bua. "These nursing homes have demonstrably outperformed their peers on almost 200 specific quality of care and quality of life benchmarks." CareScout, formed in 1977, is the first private company to ever rate nursing homes. Although it uses much of the same data as the government, it also uses different criteria, such as a facility's violations, resident profiles and medical modalities.
What has TCU consistently done to be ranked among the top 150 long-term care facilities in the U.S.? It's a number of things but the interdisciplinary team approach to care, involving the patient, physician(s), TCU nurses, rehab therapies, nutrition, case management, social work, spiritual care and activities staff, is what sets TCU's outstanding level of care apart from other facilities, according to Lisa Parks, director of transitional care at Faith Regional.
2001 - Faith Regional Awarded Edgerton Quality Award
Governor Mike Johanns presented Faith Regional Health Services with the Edgerton Commitment Award for Continuous Improvement at the Nebraska Business and Industry Recognition Day held in Beatrice on May 7, 2001. Accepting the award on behalf of Faith Regional's employees were FRHS Board President Marcus Wacker, Bob Driewer, CEO, Patrick Roche, Vice President of Mission Services and Mary Meyer, Director of Performance Improvement.
The Edgerton Award, modeled after the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Program, is presented by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development to organizations that have demonstrated an awareness of quality as a vital element of organizational success and who are working to emphasize continuous improvement in existing quality programs and services on an ongoing basis. Faith Regional Health Services participated in the Edgerton process as a way to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to providing quality services.
"Receiving this award demonstrates Faith Regional's willingness to meet the same standards and processes as those who use our programs and services," said Bob Driewer, Faith Regional's CEO. "Healthcare organizations have a tendency to limit their focus to clinical issues, but the Edgerton process allows us to be judged on overall quality, from a business as well as a clinical point of view."
Hospitals and health systems typically evaluate their processes based on the standards developed by the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, "The Joint Commission's primary focus is on clinical issues and does not sufficiently address performance in other areas," noted Mary Meyer, director of quality improvement. "We feel that the Edgerton and Baldridge processes allow an organization to assess itself from an organization-wide perspective."
Driewer also noted that Faith Regional's receiving the award was unexpected, but not necessarily a surprise. "There is a strong commitment to quality at Faith Regional and no one person is responsible for this award. We have over 900 people who demonstrate tremendous efforts on a daily basis to provide a high level of quality care. Everyone is working toward a common goal of caring for others in the best way possible. That's what really allows an organization to receive an award like this." Faith Regional is the only hospital in Nebraska to ever receive an Edgerton Award and the only Norfolk area business to ever receive one.
Since 1993, twenty-five Nebraska businesses have received the Edgerton Award. Award recipients are recognized as Nebraska companies with outstanding quality achievements. The award examination process is based upon the evaluation of several aspects of an organization including leadership, public responsibility and citizenship, customer and market initiatives, business performance and commitment to ongoing process improvement. Each of these categories are scored, based on specific business and industry standards, and a written report is generated as feedback to the organization to further their improvement efforts.
Edgerton Awards were also presented to NEAPCO Inc. of Beatrice and the Metropolitan Community College Workforce Development Institute of Omaha.
Last Updated: 7/20/2006
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