SRHS Joins IHI's Campaign to Improve Quality

Dr. Larry Shoemaker

Singing River Hospital System has joined the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's 5 Million Lives Campaign, a national effort to dramatically reduce incidents of medical harm in U.S. hospitals. The 5 Million Lives Campaign asks hospitals to improve the care they provide in order to protect patients from five million incidents of medical harm over a 24-month period, ending December 9, 2008. It represents a continuation of the largest improvement effort undertaken in recent history by the health care industry.

The 5 Million Lives Campaign builds upon the success of the 100,000 Lives Campaign in which 3,100 facilities avoided unnecessary deaths by implementing six evidence-based interventions, along with other worthy improvement initiatives. The new campaign promotes the adoption of up to 12 improvements in care that can save lives and reduce patient injuries, and it aims to enroll even more hospitals than participated in the first campaign.

"As we work to become a world-class hospital system, we are continually focused on our quality improvement efforts," said Dr. Larry Shoemaker, SRHS Chief Medical Officer. "By participating in this nationwide campaign, we are showing that we are committed to saving lives and providing our patients with the best possible care."

IHI estimates that 15 million incidents of medical harm occur in U.S. hospitals each year. SRHS took part in the 100,000 Lives Campaign, with interdisciplinary teams focusing on each of the original six initiatives.

Singing River Hospital System plans to implement and continue working on the following interventions as part of the 5 Million Lives Campaign:

• Prevent Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) infection by implementing scientifically proven infection control practices.
• Reduce harm from high-alert medications starting with a focus on anticoagulants, sedatives, narcotics and insulin.
• Reduce surgical complications by reliably implementing the changes in care recommended by the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP).
• Prevent pressure ulcers by reliably using science-based guidelines for prevention of this serious and common complication.
• Deliver reliable, evidence-based care for congestive heart failure to reduce readmissions.
• Get Boards on board by defining and spreading new and leveraged processes for hospital Boards of Directors, so they can become more effective in accelerating the improvement of care.
• 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 reconciling patient medications at every transition point in care.
• Prevent central line infections by implementing a series of interdependent, scientifically grounded steps.
• Prevent surgical site infections by following a series of steps, including reliable, timely administration of correct perioperative antibiotics.
• Prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia by implementing a series of interdependent, scientifically grounded steps.

Singing River Hospital System plans to adopt all 12 interventions and will regularly report data throughout the campaign. The campaign has been endorsed by the American Hospital Association, the American Nurses Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.