A young polio patient is lowered into a Hubbard tank
for hydrotherapy at St. Joseph Hospital, circa 1945.
Exceptional Medicine
Pursuing Perfection
PeaceHealth Partnerships
Awards & Acknowledgements
Transparency: Your Window on Quality
Exceptional Medicine
PeaceHealth's rigorous
pursuit of exceptional medicine springs from our mission, values, and
commitment to provide Healing and Compassionate Care to patients and
families in the communities we serve. PeaceHealth embraces the message of
the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report "Crossing the Quality
Chasm," which is well aligned with the journey we've been on for over 15 years. We have a reputation for being an early adopter of systems and
structures that promote quality health care. Examples include:
Focus on outcomes, patient safety, transparency
For years, we have been focused on improving clinical and operational
outcomes, and have held ourselves accountable for measures of process and
outcomes. We have a strong focus on patient safety, in both the
inpatient and clinic environment. We are committed to sharing our
results, both internally and externally.
Ongoing training of leadership, staff and clinicians
PeaceHealth has made
a major commitment to training and cultural transformation toward becoming a
continuously improving organization. One example of the commitment is when
PeaceHealth put more than 50 physicians and nurses through the four-week
Advanced Training Program and Quality Improvement at Intermountain
Healthcare.
Investment in information technology (IT) / Community Health Record (CHR)
In 1994, PeaceHealth began the process of developing of an electronic
medical record that we call the CHR. The vision continues to evolve, and
PeaceHealth has been recognized as a national leader in the integration of
information technology into clinical care.
Commitment to disease management and evidence-based medicine
The Senior
Health and Wellness Center in Eugene is one example of how PeaceHealth is an
innovator in the implementation of models of care to support those with
chronic disease. We are applying the lessons from this project broadly in
the communities we serve, including developing the IT infrastructure needed
for patients and providers. An important piece of our commitment to clinical
excellence is bringing science to the bedside or exam room - building
agreed-upon protocols based on the best evidence into the care process, and
providing easy access to the science behind these protocols.
Collaborative relationships with community-based organizations
Cooperation, between providers, across settings of care, and with patients,
is critical to PeaceHealth's vision of seamless care. Our patients want and
deserve a system that provides easy flow within and across the continuum of
care. This requires cooperation among physicians, other caregivers, and
staff in the system, with the patient at the center. PeaceHealth is working
hard to make that happen.
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"One of the reasons I chose to work
with PeaceHealth Medical Group was the obvious dedication to its core values
and the delivery of its mission. PeaceHealth has always been dedicated to
the community to provide state-of-the-art care, regardless of one's ability
to pay. I have observed nothing but complete support in providing the best
equipment, staff, and physicians to care for the most critically ill
patients that come to our hospital."
Michael McNellis, M.D., Critical Care Physician,
Lower Columbia Region,
PeaceHealth
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Pursuing Perfection
 PeaceHealth, along with the Whatcom County Community Health Improvement
Consortium, was recently selected from a pool of 250 applicants to receive a
$1.9 million "Pursuing Perfection" grant from the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation. This project seeks to bring to life the message of the
IOM report, "Crossing The Quality Chasm," which is a
template for the health care system of the 21st century. Along with 12 other
organizations in the United States and Europe, PeaceHealth is pursuing these
goals with demonstration projects, and building the infrastructure needed to
transform care across the community.
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"The opportunity provided by this
grant is to make a concerted, coordinated effort to break through and
dramatically improve systems of care for those with chronic diseases. Such a
system will directly affect the health of the people of Whatcom County and,
by extension, the people in PeaceHealth regions and across the nation."
Marc Pierson, Chairman, Community Health Improvement Consortium
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PeaceHealth Partnerships
Physician Partnerships
Physicians are active partners in
the leadership of our health care system. Through their board
representation, extensive involvement with quality and other governance
committees, and delivery of first-rate patient care, the PeaceHealth medical
staff continue to be the keystone to carrying on our heritage of providing
the highest quality health care to people in the communities we serve.
Regional Foundations
The philanthropic work of our regional foundations
is crucial to the fulfillment of PeaceHealth's Mission. Through the tireless
efforts of foundation volunteers and staff, the regional foundations provide
crucial support to our medical facilities, enabling them to make real the
promise of exceptional medicine and compassionate care.
Institute for Healthcare Improvement
PeaceHealth has had a long-standing
partnership with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. We have been
involved in a number of collaboratives (e.g., the idealized design of a
clinic practice) and are involved in numerous initiatives related to the
Pursuing Perfection project.
The Health Technology Center (HealthTech)
PeaceHealth is a strategic
partner of The Health Technology Center, a nonprofit research organization
based in San Francisco that develops in-depth forecasts about the future
impact of emerging technologies on clinical programs, health care
facilities, information systems development, the workforce, and market
positioning.
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"While the Siuslaw Region is a rural,
relatively small health care organization, our association with PeaceHealth
has allowed us to make improvements in safety and quality of care that would
have been beyond our means otherwise. The support we received has truly
enabled our improvements in diabetic care, medication list accuracy and
accessibility, and many other areas. I believe the people at PeaceHealth are
not only committed to excellence but are willing to direct the needed
resources to achieving it."
Sherry Catlin, D.O., Medical Director,
Health Associates of Peace Harbor,
PeaceHealth
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Awards and Acknowledgements
PeaceHealth has repeatedly been recognized as one of the 100 "most
wired" health systems in the United States by the American Hospital
Association. This annual award highlights technological innovators in the
health care industry. For the past few years, PeaceHealth's Internet site,
www.peacehealth.org, has been awarded the e-Healthcare Leadership Award for
excellence in Internet design.
Ketchikan General Hospital, challenged by its geographic
isolation, has become known as a pioneer in telemedicine
for oncology. In 1995, Ketchikan physicians joined with St. John Medical
Center in Longview, Washington to form a unique video-based "tumor
conference," which won acceptance by the American College of Surgeons
Commission on Cancer as an Affiliate Cancer Program. This program has
evolved into an ongoing oncology telemedicine service, currently affiliated
with St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham, Washington.
St. Joseph Hospital was awarded the designation "No. 1 Heart Program
in Washington State" by HealthGrades:
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5 Stars (top rating) in Interventional Cardiology |
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5 Stars in Acute Myocardial Infarction |
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5 Stars in Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery |
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5 Stars in Valve Surgery |
St. John Medical Center received the 2003 Washington State Nurses
Association's Community Partner Recognition Award for partnering with WSNA
in the 2002 recruitment campaign "Nursing-A Career for Life." The
goals of the campaign were to attract more people to the nursing profession,
to salute nurses at the facility for their dedication and hard work and to
educate the public about the diverse role nurses play in our medical center
and in the community.
Sacred Heart Medical Center was named one of the "100 Best Employers
in Oregon" by Oregon Business Magazine in its annual survey of
workplaces. Sacred Heart was also recognized as one of the "Top 100
Hospitals" by Modern Healthcare, and one of the "Best Places for
Care" in Oregon by Healthcare Research Corporation.
Peace Harbor Hospital received a perfect score on the
"Patient-Focused Functions" section of its most recent review by
the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations review.
The Joint Commission focuses on continuously improving the safety and
quality of health care.
Oregon Medical Laboratories (OML), owned and operated by PeaceHealth,
achieved the highest inspection rating under the College of American
Pathology (CAP) accreditation program in 2002. CAP accreditation is the gold
standard in the clinical laboratory industry and OML "passed with
distinction." Since 1990, OML has been inspected and passed NLCP
certification every 6 months.
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"In the years ahead, opportunities to
use advanced information technology to improve the safety and quality of
medical care, as well as the health of communities, will be exponentially
greater. PeaceHealth has already accomplished a great deal, and we are well
on the road toward harnessing the power of technology in support of the
patients and communities we serve."
John Haughom, M.D., Senior Vice President,
Healthcare Improvement
Division, PeaceHealth |
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