SSFHS among area hospital groups uniting to boost patient safety

Competition takes back seat to concern

Northwest Indiana hospital leaders are putting competition aside in a uniform effort to better assure patient safety and services.

Representatives, among them officials of Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Inc. Northern Indiana Region and Community Healthcare System, met in May, and again on Friday (June 26), to lay the foundation for the Northwest Indiana Patient Safety Coalition. The group, in essence, is modeled after the Indianapolis Coalition for Patient Safety that formed in 2003. Other groups since have formed in the Fort Wayne and Michiana regions.

The coalitions, which have the support of the Indiana Hospital Association, work to better ensure patient safety by adopting standardized practices, among other measures. The most recent example, of which the IHA seeks adoption by all hospitals in the state by December, is using the same colors on safety wristbands to denote patients’ conditions and status.

“The idea is to put aside our competitive juices in the name of quality patient care – to not compete when it comes to safety issues,” said Tom Gryzbek, president of Saint Margaret Mercy Hospitals in Hammond and Dyer and head of the IHA’s Northwestern District. District members previously had agreed on a smoking ban on their campuses.

Now the idea is to further expand the cooperation, thus the safety coalition plan, which, Gryzbek said, has been welcomed.

“All of the facilities’ presidents have agreed to do their best for patients -- to find solutions. We are working to create a structure and to identify potential projects,” Gryzbek added.
Each participating hospital has been asked to designate a team of safety leaders to attend coalition meetings, including the chief nurse executive, chief medial officer and leaders of patient safety and quality committees.

Betsy Lee, director of the Indiana Patient Safety Center, which was formed in 2006 as a partnership with the IHA, Indiana State Medical Association and a number of other agencies, is helping to coordinate the coalition effort.

“Patient safety has to happen at the front lines of care. The idea is to create coalitions where those doing the jobs can have a dialog and improve the possibility of improving care in the communities. They can say, ‘this is an issue for us.’ It makes it a clinical discussion, not just a hypothetical one.”

She added standardization of practices also can benefit doctors who work at more than one area hospital. “It’s appealing to get involved in a communitywide initiative.”
Lee said the original coalition formed in Indianapolis was the brainchild of two medical directors, Dr. Donald Kerner, the founding officer, and Dr. Glenn Bingle.

“They took the idea and ran with it,” Lee added.

Officiating at Friday’s Northwest Indiana coalition meeting, which took place at Purdue University Calumet in Hammond, were Dr. David Milen, manager of safety and security for Saint Margaret Mercy, and Peggy Gerard, dean of the Purdue-Calumet School of Nursing, who, along with some of her students, worked in conjunction with Saint Anthony Medical Center earlier this year on a standardized wristband project presentation, portions of which have been incorporated in the state’s effort. She also pledged her 50 students’ support to assist in coalition efforts.
Coalition members decided to mold their program mostly after the Indianapolis model, and to include portions of a Palm Beach County, Fla., plan. They also decided to meet monthly and discussed nominations for officer positions, with further action to be taken at a subsequent meeting.

Also discussed were potential projects the coalition could address in its efforts to further standardize patient safety projects.
Among them were:
* Standardizing surgical instruments and sponge-count policies.
* Precautions to guard against hospital-acquired infections.
* A patient education campaign focused on medication lists.
* Standardizing emergency codes.
* Glycemic controls.
* Setting guidelines for care while patients are in emergency rooms awaiting bed placement.

Toward the end of the meeting, Gerard told the attendees, “You are a great group and have done a wonderful job. I am excited to see the program getting off the ground.”