{"id":4441,"date":"2019-11-07T15:48:45","date_gmt":"2019-11-07T20:48:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=4441"},"modified":"2019-11-07T15:53:20","modified_gmt":"2019-11-07T20:53:20","slug":"leapfrog-group-releases-hospital-safety-grades-for-lakeland-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2019\/11\/07\/leapfrog-group-releases-hospital-safety-grades-for-lakeland-area\/","title":{"rendered":"Leapfrog Group releases hospital safety grades for Lakeland Area"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Leapfrog Group announced its fall 2019 hospital safety grades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lakeland\nHealth Regional Medical Center<\/a> received ‘C’ grade.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Hal Escowitz, MD, Lakeland Regional Health Chief\nQuality Officer and Chief Medical Informatics Officer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s Leapfrog Safety Scorecard grades reported that we\nare a \u201cC.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Lakeland Regional Health, we are committed to using\nevidence-based, reliable and high-quality processes to ensure patients receive\nthe best outcomes and safest care while at our Medical Center. We are\ncontinuously working to ensure our organization\u2019s quality and safety measures\nexceed industry standards for care. Our team members and leaders are not\nsatisfied with anything less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d like to share some factors to help you better understand\nthe scoring:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.    The data reflected in this\nrecently released Leapfrog score is based on results from July 2016 through\nDecember 2018, so it is somewhat dated. We are confident that our future\nLeapfrog scores will reflect the significant headway we\u2019ve made since that\nperiod of time. For instance, since December 2018 alone, Lakeland Regional\nHealth Medical Center implemented quality and performance initiatives that\nresulted in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7         20%\nimprovement in central line infections<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7         25% reduction\nin hospital acquired C. Diff infections<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7         75%\ndecrease in respiratory complications after surgery<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7         11%\nreduction in falls<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To achieve such noteworthy results, physicians, nurses and\nsupport team members at the Medical Center use the most advanced technology to\nassist with patient assessment, most notably the Sepsis Crawler, an electronic\nsystem that monitors a patient\u2019s vital signs and lab results, identifying patients\nwho have early-onset blood infections so treatment can promptly begin. In\naddition, our Institute for Safety Discovery and Standard Work continues to\nimplement innovative front-line changes in such areas as hand hygiene, reduced\ncatheter use and antibiotic stewardship. Lakeland Regional Health is also\npleased to collaborate with organizations like Mayo Clinic to share best\npractices and enhance our care processes for the patients and families we are\nprivileged to serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.    The role of hospitals is rapidly\nchanging. Medical care alone accounts for only 10 percent to 20 percent of a\nperson\u2019s health status, according to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine<\/a>. The remainder is\ndetermined by a person\u2019s behavior, socioeconomic status and environmental\nfactors. This means those of us in healthcare have to work with patients and\nthe community in entirely new ways to address social determinants that affect a\nperson\u2019s long-term wellness. At Lakeland Regional Health, we eagerly\nembrace this new era of innovation and collaboration to produce better health\noutcomes for those we serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.    To do this exceptional work at our\nhospital and out in the community, we need adequate funding. We are very\ngrateful to our City Commissioners, Mayor and city leaders for freezing the\namount of our city lease payments for the next five years. Our Medical Center\ncontinues to face crucial cuts in Medicaid funding, receiving $22 million less\nthan we did five years ago. Beginning in 2017, we also could no longer rely on\nexpanded Medicaid eligibility in Florida. In spite of drastically reduced\ngovernment assistance, Lakeland Regional Health is steadfast in its commitment\nto serve as a vital safety-net hospital for our community, providing more than\n$24 million in charity care in FY2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bartow\nRegional Medical Center<\/a> received ‘D’ grade.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From BayCare the owner of Bartow Regional Medical Center:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BayCare\u2019s number one priority is quality outcomes, including safe patient care.\u00a0 We participated in the Leapfrog survey for the first time this year. The survey questions are open to interpretation and are primarily based on process. Health systems can still achieve great outcomes through different process methods.\u00a0 In our journey to be best-in-class, we will continue to measure quality outcomes through multiple data sources\u00a0including IBM Watson Health, which ranks BayCare as one of the top-performing large health systems in the nation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hospital safety grades focus on how hospitals protect\npatients from errors, accidents, hospital-related injuries and communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lakeland Health Regional Medical Center<\/a> received a ‘C’ grade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bartow Regional Medical Center<\/a> received a ‘D’ grade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hospital safety grades focus on how hospitals protect patients from errors, accidents, hospital-related injuries, and communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n