EAGAN, Minn., Sept. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross) and the Buyers Health Care Action Group (BHCAG) presented awards to Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, Fairview Southdale Hospital and Steve Kleinglass, director of the Minneapolis Veterans’ Affairs (VA) Medical Center to demonstrate support for substantial efforts to make hospital care safer and reduce the number of preventable mistakes.
“Minnesota’s hospitals are doing some courageous work in making hospital care safer, and we created these awards to recognize and encourage that work,” said MaryAnn Stump, Blue Cross vice president of strategic and consumer innovation.
“Health care purchasers have sent the marketplace a strong message about our performance expectations and these awards represent our commitment to recognize and reward high-performing providers,” explained Carolyn Pare, CEO of BHCAG, which co-sponsored the awards. Stump and Pare presented the awards Sept. 22 at the Minnesota Hospital Association’s (MHA) board meeting in Brainerd.
Three awards were given for 2005: -- Action Against Adverse Events Award: Given to Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina. This award acknowledges the courageous and pioneering work set into motion as a result of the state’s Adverse Events Reporting Act. Fairview Southdale is recognized for what it was able to learn and change, based on that reporting. The MHA solicited nominations and assembled a judging panel to review the entries. Fairview Southdale won for its work and action plan to reduce injuries due to falls in its hospital. The hospital implemented an action plan based on root cause analysis. The plan led to such improvements as the identification of at-risk patients, the use of bed/chair alarms, and a provision for anti-skid slippers for at-risk patients. “Patient safety has always been a priority at Fairview Southdale. One area we have been particularly focused on recently is preventing falls,” said Judy Pechacek, vice president of patient care and chief nursing officer, Fairview Southdale Hospital. “Fall prevention takes a team effort, from the work of the nurses and nurses aids, to educating the patient and his or her family members. We’re very proud of this award and will continue to improve our processes for patients,” she said. -- Leapfrog Group Patient Safety Measures Award: Given to Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, St. Paul. The award was chosen by BHCAG members to recognize the Minnesota institution that has made the most advancement in implementing the patient safety practices endorsed by the Leapfrog Group of employers. These practices include 1) The use of computerized pharmacy order entry; 2) Intensive care units staffed with a trained specialist known as an intensivist; and 3) Implementing a system for measuring and improving the hospital’s progress on 27 National Forum Safe Practice areas such as safe medication use, following care guidelines and improving the transfer of patient information. Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare President and CEO Margaret Perryman stated her facility’s 2005 quality improvement objectives focused on initiatives that were consistent with the Leapfrog Group’s patient safety practices. “The Leapfrog practices are on the cutting edge of quality improvement and we know our young patients benefit by our organization adopting them,” she said. -- Leadership Award: Given to Steven Kleinglass, director, VA Medical Center, Minneapolis. The national VA system has been a leader in patient safety accelerating health system change. Kleinglass exemplifies the type of leader who makes that possible. His work at the Minneapolis VA includes creating the VA Advisory Board that is now part of the fabric of their planning and patient-focused design efforts. His influence and work, however, go beyond the VA. He’s chair of MHA’s Patient Safety Committee. He has been an active participant in state safety initiatives such as the Minnesota Executive Sessions on Patient Safety and has also helped Blue Cross in its early and ongoing development of Healthcare Facts. “We’re entrusted to take care of patients who come to the facility and that trust means we should provide a safe, conducive environment,” Kleinglass said.
“Significant efforts are underway across the state to continue to improve patient safety; having a Blue Cross plan and a major employer group offering these awards speaks to the importance of this work,” said Bruce Rueben, MHA president.
Minnesota’s health care providers and purchasers have worked together to support more sharing of hospital patient safety data and learnings through the state’s groundbreaking adverse health event reporting system. The first public report on the so-called “never events” was released in January. Ninety-nine adverse events were reported for a 15-month period.
“Minnesota is known as one of the healthiest states in the country. The leadership of hospitals in improving patient safety offers one example of Minnesota’s leadership in health care,” said Stump.
About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, with headquarters in the St. Paul suburb of Eagan, was chartered in 1933 as Minnesota’s first health plan and continues to carry out its charter mission today: to promote a wider, more economical and timely availability of health services for the people of Minnesota. A not-for-profit, taxable organization, Blue Cross is the largest health plan based in Minnesota, covering 2.6 million members in Minnesota and nationally through its health plans or plans administered by its affiliated companies. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, headquartered in Chicago. Go to http://www.bluecrossmn.com to learn more about Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.
About the Buyers Health Care Action Group
Formed in 1988, the Buyers Health Care Action Group (BHCAG) is a coalition of public and private employers working to recreate the health care system so consumers will get the care they need in the right place, at the right time and at the right price. BHCAG is a founding member of The Leapfrog Group which was created in November 2000 by leading U.S. employers and coalitions that provide health care benefits to more than 34 million enrollees nationally.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
CONTACT: Joel Swanson of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota,+1-651-662-2882, Cell: +1-651-442-3765; or, Dean Neumann of BHCAG,+1-952-451-5776
Web site: http://www.bluecrossmn.com/
