Primaris Press Release
| For immediate release: May 15, 2008 |
Contact: Matt Heger Primaris Communications Department (800) 735-6776, Ext. 136 |
Photos
Jonathan Gottlieb, MD, chief medical officer of Barnes-Jewish Hospital, rallies the crowd as Denise Murphy, vice president for quality and patient safety looks on. Gottlieb and Murphy celebrated the receipt of the Primaris Hospital Quality Award on May 15, 2008. Photo credit: Matt Heger
From left, Jonathan Gottlieb, MD, chief medical officer of Barnes-Jewish Hospital; and Denise Murphy, vice president for quality and patient safety, receive the Primaris Hospital Quality Award from Richard A. Royer, Primaris CEO on May 15, 2008, at the hospital. Photo credit: Matt Heger
Primaris CEO Richard A. Royer announces Barnes-Jewish Hospital as the winner of the Primaris Hospital Quality Award on May 15, 2008, at the hospital. Photo credit: Matt Heger
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Eyes on Patient Safety Paying Off
Barnes-Jewish Hospital receives Primaris Hospital Quality Award
ST. LOUIS—Barnes-Jewish Hospital has been awarded the Primaris Hospital Quality Award, an annual Missouri award honoring continuous improvement and innovative improvement efforts.
Each year, one Missouri hospital is selected to receive the award given by Primaris, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving healthcare. Primaris serves as the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for Missouri.
“Barnes-Jewish Hospital earned this recognition through their promotion of patient-centered care. They’ve achieved great results, particularly through empowering employees and patients to elevate the importance of quality health care,” said Richard A. Royer, CEO of Primaris.
“I’m incredibly proud of our outstanding work,” said Andy Ziskind, MD, president of Barnes-Jewish Hospital. “It’s not only the patient safety and quality department who won this award, it is each and every employee, from housekeeping, dietary and facilities staff to pharmacists, nurses and our Washington University physician partners.”
Primaris cited a wide variety of improvement programs in the selection of Barnes-Jewish for the award, including their “Great Catch” and “Stop the Line” programs. Both programs are designed to ensure patient care is the top concern.
The Great Catch program rewards staff who identify risk and prevent harm, or who take extraordinary measures to promote a culture of safety at the hospital. The program is designed to reward courageous employees, said Denise Murphy, Barnes-Jewish vice president for quality and patient safety.
Similarly, the Stop the Line program allows any employee or physician to halt a process when they see a potential patient safety concern. Murphy said the program empowers any employee or physician to do the right thing.
“We have more than 12,000 beds. We need all the eyes and caring hands we can possibly get to watch over our hospital,” Murphy said.
The hospital also encourages patients and families to report safety concerns through Gold Patient Safety Excellence Cards. Barnes-Jewish goes out of its way to inform patients of potential errors, such as hands not being washed or a surgical site not being marked, and urges patients to voice concerns.
“It really promotes a sense of trust between our staff and patients. We’re in this together,” Murphy said.
Primaris CEO Richard A. Royer presented the award at a ceremony May 15 at the hospital.
The Primaris Hospital Quality Award is presented annually in recognition of quality transparency, performance and continuous improvement. Similar awards are also given in the home health, nursing home and physician office settings.
About Barnes-Jewish Hospital
Barnes-Jewish Hospital at Washington University Medical Center is the largest hospital in Missouri and the largest private employer in the St. Louis region. An affiliated teaching hospital of Washington University School of Medicine, Barnes-Jewish Hospital has a 1,700 member medical staff with many who are recognized in the "Best Doctors in America." They are supported by residents, interns and fellows, in addition to nurses, technicians and other health-care professionals.
About Primaris
Primaris is a nonprofit, health care consulting firm and contracts with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to serve as the Quality Improvement Organization for Missouri. Primaris’ mission is to improve health care delivery and outcomes by promoting excellence, advancing knowledge and developing innovative solutions for physicians, other providers, businesses, government, patients and consumers.
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