MDNews - Central New York

+++++++++++++++++++ + + +++++++++++++++++++ LOCAL NEWS  +++ +++ measurement and lifetime results. The LifeWings system was created fol- lowing recommendations from the Institute of Medicine and Institute of Healthcare Improvement that hospitals follow prac- tices developed for the aviation fi eld. In the 1980s, aviation safety experts determined that accidents most often occurred not because of technical incompetence, but because of teamwork failures. LifeWings’ CRM system mimics the tested practices of the aviation industry, but is tailored to the unique needs of the modern health care industry. Taught to more than 13,000 high-perfor- mance medical team members each year, the LifeWings system has been a resound- ing success at scores of institutions. Health care facilities using the program have seen error rates reduced tenfold, observed mor- tality rates cut by 43% and surgical count errors decreased by 50%. “The medical teams we work with are, in many respects, just like fl ight crews. They are extremely skilled, highly dedicated and disciplined professionals who take their work seriously. We fi nd that the practices developed for the LifeWings CRM program resonate with these expert workers,” says Captain Stephen Harden, President and co-founder of LifeWings Partners LLC. “It’s our goal, as St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center’s new partner, to use the LifeWings system to produce measurable improve- ments in patient care among its surgical and clinical teams.” “St. Joseph’s is committed to providing the best possible standard of care. While we’ve had great success with our programs to date, we believe the LifeWings approach will raise our systems and practices even further,” says Dennis Ehrich, M.D., Chief Quality Offi cer. “We look forward to seeing the benefi ts of the LifeWings CRM program take root within our walls.” EXCELLUS BCBS OFFERS PROGRAMS ALIGNED WITH NEW CMS INITIATIVE The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the launch of “Partnership for Patients” with the goal of improving care delivery and outcomes in 22 | Central New York MD NEWS  MDNEWS.COM preventing health care-associated infec- tions and reducing avoidable hospital read- missions. In order to achieve the projected goals of infection reduction by 40% and a decrease of readmissions within 30 days of discharge by 20% by the end of 2013, CMS wants to change the way Medicare pays hospitals. Beginning in 2012, a growing portion of the payment will be adjusted based on the hospital’s performance. By 2015, 9% of a hospital’s Medicare payments could be based on meeting these goals. The Obama Administration is asking the private sector to pledge support of this initiative. Excellus BlueCross BlueShield issued a fact sheet, “Hospital-Acquired Infections in Upstate New York,” showing that an estimated 19,500 upstate New Yorkers ac- quired an infection during a hospital stay in 2004, and nearly 1,000 deaths were likely to have occurred as a result. The fact sheet can be found under the “Hospitals” head- ing in the “News & Information” section of www.excellusbcbs.com. To address these concerns, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield adopted two new programs, each with three- to fi ve-year quality goals aimed at improving patient safety and chronic disease care. The Hospi- tal Performance Incentive Program assists hospital partners with investment in per- formance improvement tools and technol- ogy. To date, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield has invested $7 million to assist participat- ing hospitals with acquiring data mining technologies, clinical expert consultation, educational support, and clinical and fi nan- cial outcomes measurement to reduce the incidence of hospital-acquired infections. Since 2008, participating hospitals have experienced an estimated 17% decline in hospital-acquired infections. The Hospi- tal Performance Incentive Program, the second of the two programs instituted by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, puts some of the health plan’s payments to participat- ing hospitals at risk by adding accountabil- ity for quality to the business relationship. In 2010, upstate New York hospitals earned more than $19 million in quality improve- ment incentive payments from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, resulting in partici- pating hospitals consistently scoring higher on CMS quality measures than hospitals whose payments are not at risk. Eight hospitals in Central New York participated in this program in 2010, including Community General Hospital, Cortland Regional Medical Center, Crouse Hospital, Massena Memorial Hospital Os- wego Hospital, Samaritan Medical Center, St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center and SUNY Upstate University Hospital. n Continued from Page 5 cut up her stuffed animals. She attended the University of Richmond for her gradu- ate degree. In medical school, when she had to choose a specialty, she admitted that she was torn between internal medicine and surgery. In the fi nal analysis, however, she knew she loved the operating room and decided to become an otolaryngologist, where surgery would be part of her future practice. In June, Tally began a fi ve-year residency program at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Congratulations and best wishes to all 2011 medical school graduates. Let’s hope that when they complete their residency programs, some will decide to make their permanent home here and help fi ll the need for physicians in the Central New York area. Gerald N. “Jerry” Hoffman is Executive Vice President of the Onondaga County Medical Society and is co-author of two books, Medical Malpractice Insurance, A Legislator’s View, and The History of Local Medical Care, 1806-2006. n ADVERTISERS’ INDEX Danlee Medical Products, Inc ............... 19 Excellus BlueCross BlueShield .............Outside Back Cover Infusacare .................................................... 18 Keurig ............................. Inside Back Cover Linexis ..........................................................20 Magnetic Diagnostic Resources .............7 Crouse Hospital ...........................................7 St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center .......... Inside Front Cover Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists ......... 21

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