Vidant Health hospitals earn national awards for quality, patient safety | Eastern North Carolina Now

For Immediate Release:

   GREENVILLE     Several Vidant Health hospitals have earned national awards for performance in quality and patient safety.

    "These awards recognize the hard work and process improvement successes at Vidant Health hospitals over the last year," said Joan Wynn, chief quality officer for Vidant Health. "This recognition is a testament to the dedication of employees, physicians and leaders to achieve our ultimate goal of zero events of preventable harm and exceptional patient experiences."

    VHA Inc., the national health care network, awarded the VHA Leadership Award for Clinical Excellence to Vidant Edgecombe Hospital in Tarboro.

    The VHA Leadership Award for Clinical excellence is conferred annually on those health care organizations that achieve top performance on the clinical core measures established and tracked by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and in the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Health Providers and Services (HCAHPS) survey that measures patient satisfaction at hospitals nationwide.

    Vidant Edgecombe Hospital , Vidant Bertie Hospital in Windsor, Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital in Ahoskie and Vidant Duplin Hospital in Kenansville also earned awards from VHA for their efforts to improve patient safety.

    Specifically, the hospitals earned the following commendations:

    Vidant Edgecombe: VHA Central Atlantic Board-Directed Quality Initiative for MRSA Infection Reduction. Hospitals in this category must have experienced a 50 percent or greater reduction in MRSA rates in calendar year 2011 compared to calendar year 2010. MRSA is the short name for a type of staph infection (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) that many antibiotics won't kill.

    Vidant Bertie Hospital and Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital for VHA Central Atlantic Board-Directed Quality Initiative for Reducing Preventable Heart Failure Readmissions. To receive this award, hospitals must have reduced by 50 percent or greater the number of patients readmitted with heart failure symptoms during a specific six-month period.

    Vidant Duplin Hospital and Vidant Bertie Hospital for VHA Central Atlantic Board-Directed Quality Initiative for Reducing Falls with Injuries (at least a 50 percent reduction). Hospitals in this category must have reduced by at least 50 percent the number of patients experiencing a fall with injury while hospitalized. Vidant Bertie Hospital reported zero falls with injury.

    VHA serves more than 1,350 not-for-profit hospitals and more than 30,000 non-acute health care organizations nationwide, actively supporting their efforts to improve their clinical and economic performance.

    By recognizing these award-winning institutions, VHA hopes other hospitals and health systems will apply these leading practices and identify ways to improve patient care and drive clinical excellence within their own organizations.

    Based in Irving, Texas, VHA Inc. is a national network of not-for-profit health care organizations that work together to drive maximum savings in the supply chain arena, set new levels of clinical performance, and identify and implement best practices to improve operational efficiency and clinical outcomes. Since 1977, VHA has leveraged its expertise in analytics, contracting, consulting and networks to help members achieve their operational, clinical and financial objectives. In 2011, VHA delivered record savings and value of $1.9 billion to members. VHA serves more than 1,350 hospitals and more than 30,000 non-acute care providers nationwide, coordinating delivery of its programs and services through its 15 regional offices.

    Contact: Barbara Dunn, Vidant Health Strategic Development, (252)847-7599.

    Vidant Health, a mission-driven, not-for-profit corporation, owns, leases or has a majority membership interest in nine eastern North Carolina hospitals and has a management agreement with one other. The health system includes Albemarle Health, Vidant Beaufort Hospital, Vidant Bertie Hospital, Vidant Chowan Hospital, Vidant Duplin Hospital, Vidant Edgecombe Hospital, The Outer Banks Hospital, Vidant Medical Center, Vidant Pungo Hospital, Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital, Vidant Home Health and Hospice, Vidant Wellness Centers, Vidant Medical Group and is affiliated with the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. On the web at www.vidanthealth.com.