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"We are definitely 'going for the gold' -- we want to provide excellent care to every patient, every time," said Sandra Marshall, senior vice president for organizational effectiveness and clinical outcomes.
Underlying this quality commitment is an "investment in substantial resources in medical and information technology in order to become the care environment of choice for patients and physicians," according to Tony Spezia, president and CEO of Covenant Health.
Systemwide, Covenant Health is involved in various quality initiatives and has been recognized for its efforts in quality improvement and other accomplishments that demonstrate excellence in patient care. Among these are:
Transformation of the OR Project - Parkwest Medical Center is one of a select few VHA healthcare organizations across the country which are collaborating to improve and create best practices in the operating room. Focus areas of the project include prevention of surgical infection and complications, operating room performance, supply change management, and technology assessment.
Stroke Centers of Excellence - Covenant Health hospitals are working diligently to provide excellent care for stroke patients. Although stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States, the risk of dying from a stroke is less than half what it was 20 years ago. Covenant Health's acute care hospitals are participating with VHA's Stroke Sense program, which aligns its evidence-based core measures with JCAHO standards.
One way Covenant hospitals are currently applying evidence-based medicine is through "care design order sets." These standardized stroke-specific orders help ensure that each stroke patient receives an appropriate set of tests and services shown to be effective in a significant body of medical literature.
Transformation of the ICU Project - Parkwest, Fort Sanders Regional, Fort Sanders Sevier and Methodist Medical Centers are partnering with other critical care units in a nationwide collaboration to provide the best quality and safest care to critically ill patients and their families. Participants include community hospitals and tertiary teaching centers such as Johns Hopkins and Baylor Health Care System.
Through TICU, hospitals are developing physician-led, multi-professional ICU teams, and implementing the physician role of "intensivist." Implementation of evidence-based therapeutic approaches have demonstrated that basic changes to care processes can decrease complications, length of stay, and staff turnover, while increasing patient and family satisfaction.
Women's Heart Care Initiative - Covenant Health hospitals and outreach programs are stepping to the forefront as leaders in education, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease among women. With heart disease as the greatest threat to a woman's health, Covenant Health has created opportunities for women to learn more about risk factors, heart disease prevention, and recognition of symptoms. Research among area women has demonstrated an increased public awareness about women and heart disease.
Projects associated with Covenant Health's Women's Heart Care initiative have included comprehensive community screenings, "Go Red" fashion shows, lighting hospital buildings red in observance of Heart Month, information kits, walking programs, Covenant-sponsored television coverage, and employee/physician awareness campaigns.
Institute for Healthcare Improvement "100,000 Lives" Campaign - All Covenant Health hospitals are among nearly 2,000 hospitals nationwide which are members of an IHI campaign to implement changes in care that have been proven to prevent avoidable deaths. Among the campaign's initial initiatives are deployment of rapid response teams, delivery of evidence-based care for heart attack, preventing adverse drug events, preventing central line infections, preventing surgical site infections and preventing ventilator-assisted pneumonia.
Recent awards which demonstrate a healthcare environment dedicated to quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction include:
Covenant Health Quality
Excellent. Together.
View Clinical Quality commercial! (300k)
A commitment to quality is implied in Covenant Health's mission statement. But beyond words, the goal of reaching the "gold standard" in terms of quality has been adopted as the operational foundation for all of Covenant Health's programs and services by the health system's senior leaders and Board of Directors.
Covenant Health is Only Tennessee Health System to Have All Affiliated Hospitals in Top Quartile for Quality, CMS Report Says (10/14/05)
Covenant Health’s commitment to quality has resulted in the health system receiving exclusive recognition among Tennessee hospitals for its high standards of care. The health system is the only one in Tennessee to have all of its acute care hospitals in the top quartile for all four quarters of 2004 for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Appropriate Care Measure (ACM) performance report... (Read more)
Quality Data for Covenant Health Hospitals (2004)
(click on thumbnails to view data)
Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center
Parkwest Medical Center
Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge
Fort Sanders Sevier Medical Center
Fort Loudoun Medical Center
Disclaimer: Covenant Health has developed and maintains this web site as a benefit for and in service to our communities. While Covenant Health strives to keep the information contained on this site current, Covenant Health makes no warranty or guarantee concerning accuracy of content. Although some of the information contained on this site relates to medical topics and issues, no information on the site should be construed as medical advice. Any questions regarding your health or possible health problems should be directed to your physician. The site also includes links providing direct access to other Internet sites, however Covenant Health takes no responsibility for the content or information contained on other sites and does not exert any editorial or other control over those sites.
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