scottish rite hospital staff accepts award in houston

Mar 23, 2018 / General News

Scottish Rite Hospital Awarded THA's 2017 Bill Aston Award for Quality

Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children received the 2017 Bill Aston Award for Quality at the Texas Hospital Association’s (THA) annual conference hosted in Houston this February. The hospital was excited to be recognized for its significant reductions in surgical site infections (SSI).

One of THA’s primary initiatives is to promote quality and patient safety in Texas hospitals. This initiative led them to create the Bill Aston Award for Quality in 2010. The award honors hospitals that have distinguished themselves through measurable success in improving quality and patient outcomes through the sustained implementation of a national and/or state evidence-based patient care initiative that involves physicians, hospital governing board members and staff.

As the only free-standing pediatric orthopedic hospital in the country, one of Scottish Rite Hospital’s primary areas of focus is the Center for Excellence in Spine. Surgical site infection following surgery leads to high morbidity and cost to patients. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention cites that adoption and implementation of evidenced-based practices, such as bundled interventions, can significantly decrease SSI rates.

In early 2016, Scottish Rite Hospital leadership created a multidisciplinary surgical site infections (SSI) committee comprised of a physician champion, nurses, administration, infection prevention and quality in an effort to improve our quality and patient safety outcomes to better serve our patients. This committee identified current evidence-based practice strategies and implemented a six-step bundled intervention approach aimed at decreasing SSI rates. The SSI rate for spinal fusion patients was effectively reduced by 88 percent, as well as a significant reduction in direct costs to the patient, despite a 13 percent increase in surgeries in 2016.

“The Texas Hospital Association’s Bill Aston Award for Quality recognizes a member hospital that has measurable success in improving quality and patient outcomes through implementation of an evidence-based patient care initiative,” said Ted Shaw, THA president/CEO. “This year, we were proud to recognize Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children for its bundled intervention approach to reduce surgical site infections. The hospital’s commitment to high quality, patient-centered care is truly reflected in this initiative.”

 “Providing world-class orthopedic care is our highest priority,” says Matt Chance, FACHE, senior vice president of operations for Scottish Rite Hospital. “The continued efforts of our Quality Improvement team and the SSI committee to refine our procedures is just another example of how we constantly challenge ourselves to improve outcomes for our patients.”
 
The other five Centers for Excellence include hand, foot, sports medicine, hip and limb lengthening. These service lines experienced a 30 percent increase in surgery volume in 2016, while simultaneously reducing the non-spine SSI rate to zero.

“Scottish Rite Hospital is a special place that works dilligently to improve the lives of children on a daily basis,” says Amy L. McIntosh, M.D., orthopedic surgeon at Scottish Rite Hospital and physician champion for the surgical site infection committee. “This award recognizes the amazing team of people on the surgical site infection committee and their tireless commitment to quality improvement and patient safety.”

“I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work with and learn from such an amazing team at Scottish Rite Hospital,” says Kerry Wilder, director of quality improvement for Scottish Rite Hospital. “The SSI committee members continue to give their time, effort and commitment to help create and implement a solid surgical site infection reduction plan for our patients. We continue our journey to zero and look forward to even lower rates of infection next year.”

Read D CEO Healthcare article here.
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