MOKENA, Ill., March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Provena Health's six hospitals are among the 86 hospitals nationwide and the only hospitals in Illinois whose leaders have asked the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) to conduct their 2005 inspections without any advance notice.
"Clinical quality is the top goal for Provena Health," said Margaret Gavigan, the Catholic system's chief clinical officer. "Asking JCAHO to inspect unannounced is one of many steps we're taking this year to continue enhancing quality. It's in harmony with our mission and vision and our effort to retain a culture that is constantly ready to meet the needs of those we serve in a manner consistent with high standards."
Historically, JCAHO on-site evaluations of hospital operations have been announced weeks or even months in advance. That was the case in 2002, when all Provena Health hospitals performed very well. Optional unannounced surveys were first made available last year.
"The Joint Commission review is intended to help us improve," she said. "By asking inspectors to arrive without notice, we're allowing for a more critical review of our efforts. We expect to learn more and, therefore, to be able to make even more improvements for the benefit of our patients."
ICU Network
Gavigan cited the system's development this year of an intensive care unit network as another example of Provena Health's focus on clinical quality.
When completed later this year, the Provena eICU Connection will electronically link all the patients in the 128 intensive care unit beds across all six hospitals to a remote monitoring center. There physicians and nurses who specialize in critical care medicine will monitor patients' progress through vital signs as well as video cameras and microphones.
"The clinicians in the eICU center are in addition to the physicians and nurses who provide care in each intensive care unit," she said. "We will be providing an additional layer of safety to our most critically ill patients."
Recent studies have shown that a center such as the one Provena Health is creating can reduce mortality rates in ICUs by as much as 26 percent. The Provena eICU Connection will be completed later this year.
The Illinois hospitals of Provena Health operate in Aurora (Provena Mercy Medical Center), Danville (Provena United Samaritans Medical Center), Elgin (Provena Saint Joseph Hospital), Joliet (Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center), Kankakee (Provena St. Mary's Hospital), and Urbana (Provena Covenant Medical Center).
Provena HealthCONTACT: Clinton Giese of Provena Health, +1-708-478-6356 - phone,+1-815-767-3514 - pager
Web site: http://www.provenahealth.com/