IRVING, Texas, Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- VHA Inc., a national alliance of more than 2,200 not-for-profit health care organizations, has joined the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s 100,000 Lives Campaign as a partner.
The IHI campaign encourages hospitals to apply known best practices for clinical care in order to save 100,000 patient lives over the next 18 months, and to save 100,000 annually thereafter. Don Berwick, M.D., president and chief executive officer of IHI said, “IHI’s partnership with VHA lends tremendous leverage to this national campaign. VHA’s capacity is second to none in helping literally hundreds of organizations and thousands of clinicians to make changes that matter in patients’ lives and safety.”
“Hospitals have the power and the knowledge to improve the quality of the care they offer patients, and we believe this campaign will serve as a catalyst to help hospitals maintain their focus providing the best care, every day for every patient,” said Stuart B. Baker, M.D., executive vice president at VHA. Baker believes that participation in the campaign will reinforce the critical importance of rigorously following routines and processes that are sometimes downplayed or ignored in hectic health care environments where staffing and workload can be significant issues. “Too often we rely on technology to save the day in health care, when in reality, consistent performance of very basic care maneuvers has the greatest impact on patient outcomes,” said Baker.
VHA has for several years been heavily involved in clinical improvement initiatives that focus on the areas being targeted by the IHI campaign. For example, hundreds of member hospitals participate in VHA programs like Women’s Heart Advantage, Transformation of the ICU, and various regional initiatives targeting surgical infections and medication usage. In fact, some VHA initiatives have been nationally recognized as solutions that health care organizations can use to address the problems being targeted by the IHI campaign.
Through the 100,000 Lives Campaign, IHI, VHA and the other campaign partners will disseminate powerful improvement tools, with supporting expertise, throughout the American health care system. This campaign aims to enlist thousands of hospitals across the country in an effort to implement changes in care that have been proven to prevent avoidable deaths.
The campaign focuses on getting hospitals to: * Deploy Rapid Response Teams ... at the first sign of patient decline * Deliver Reliable, Evidence-Based Care for Acute Myocardial Infarction ... to prevent deaths from heart attack * Prevent Adverse Drug Events ... by implementing medication reconciliation * Prevent Central Line Infections ... by implementing a series of interdependent, scientifically grounded steps called the “Central Line Bundle” * Prevent Surgical Site Infections ... by reliably delivering the correct perioperative antibiotics at the proper time * Prevent Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia ... by implementing a series of interdependent, scientifically-grounded steps called the “Ventilator Bundle” About VHA
VHA Inc., based in Irving, Texas, is a national cooperative of leading not-for-profit health care organizations that work together to improve the health of the communities they serve. VHA leverages the collective strength of the membership to improve clinical, operational and financial performance. Through the VHA cooperative, members access resources that help them assess critical needs and identify best practices to create customized solutions that lower costs and improve clinical quality. As a cooperative, VHA distributes income annually to members based on their participation.
Contact: Lynn Gentry 972/830-0798 lgentry@vha.com
VHA Inc.
CONTACT: Lynn Gentry of VHA Inc., +1-972-830-0798, or lgentry@vha.com
Web site: http://www.vha.com/
