By Staff
ST. JOSEPH-VHA, Inc., a national healthcare alliance, has recognized Lakeland HealthCare for providing excellent care to patients in its intensive care units (ICU). The 2008 VHA Leadership Award for Clinical Excellence honors organizations that have distinguished themselves from other VHA members by meeting or exceeding national performance standards in specific clinical categories.
VHA serves more than 1,400 not-for-profit hospitals nationwide, and Lakeland HealthCare is one of 49 VHA-member hospitals to be recognized for preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia in patients in the intensive care unit.
"Everyone at Lakeland who made this honor possible makes a difference in the care of their patients, and the health of the entire community," said Bill Johnson, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Lakeland HealthCare. "I salute the entire Lakeland team."
"Intensive care patients are extremely vulnerable to infections," said Trent Haywood, M.D., J.D., Chief Medical Officer at VHA. "Lakeland HealthCare has achieved what was once thought of as unattainable, zero cases of VAP over a long period of time. That's quite an accomplishment."
Patients in the ICU are often sicker than other patients, and therefore, more susceptible to developing complications, such as ventilator-associated pneumonia. Providing better care to these patients can reduce the likelihood for complications that could lengthen hospital stays, or even increase morbidity for ICU patients.
"Our work toward this award began in 2004, when Lakeland's Critical Care Unit became involved in the Keystone initiative, a joint venture with Michigan Hospital Association and John Hopkins University that uses evidence-based best practices to improve quality of care," said Diane Bergum, Patient Care Manager, Critical Care Unit. "Since that time, we have been able to significantly improve our overall quality of care for all of our critically ill patients."
To receive the award in this category, Lakeland HealthCare had to demonstrate its ICU's applied specific processes to eliminate or reduce the risk for ventilator-associated pneumonia, including frequent oral care, keeping the head of a patient's bed elevated to 30 degrees, wearing gloves when suctioning or touching the ventilator circuit. The standard for eliminating infections was zero cases of ventilator-associated pneumonia over at least a continuous twelve-month time period.
"This award validates the dedicated focus of our clinical staff and physicians in pursuing excellence in the care provided to our intensive care patients," said Joe Wasserman, President and CEO of Lakeland HealthCare. "Our participation in VHA helps us achieve higher levels of performance in all areas, both operationally and clinically, so we are pleased to be recognized for our efforts in the ICU."
For more information, visit www.lakelandhealth.org or www.vha.com.