MDNews - Greater Boston

Frank Powers, MD, who joined the hospitalist program in 2008, serves as its Director as well as President of the medical staff. "By focusing only on inpatient care, our hospitalist service gives a greater comfort level to primary care doctors as well as patients, who have gained confidence in the hospital for themselves and their family members," Dr. Powers says. The recent addition of an innovative $9 million Emergency Department to Harrington's Webster campus also created a need for quality clinicians to treat the 12,000 patients already seen at the facility annually, a number that is expected to rise. "We rebuilt our Emergency Department with all residency-trained, board-certified emergency medicine physicians, and it has greatly improved the general health of our community," Dr. Russo adds. Quality and Patient Safety Harrington HealthCare's clinical endeavors also required initiatives to optimize quality of care, patient safety and patient satisfaction. "We reinvigorated our quality and safety initiative with our first CUSP — a compre- hensive unit-based safety program — team in 2010 and focused on the intensive care unit," says Kathleen Davis, Vice President of Quality, Patient Safety and Risk Management. Harrington's CUSP team implemented preventive measures against central line- associated bloodstream infections because of the significant mortality rate associ- ated with them. As a result, patients have experienced no central line infections as well as no ventilator-associated pneumonia over the last five years, according to Davis. Utilizing Press Ganey to measure patient satisfaction, Harrington achieved the 97th percentile ranking for its Emergency Department care in the last reporting period and the 99th level for inpatient satisfaction, Davis notes. "Quality is a never-ending quest," Waddick adds. "We have to constantly find ways to enhance the breadth and depth of the services we offer." Patient outcomes and the delivery of qual- ity care are also key to Harrington's Stroke Center, which received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's "Get with the Guidelines" Silver Plus achievement award. Harrington's cardiac care and mam- mography services, as well as obstetrics/ gynecology and Women's Services, were also recognized for their clinical excellence. Behavioral Health Recognizing a community need for more responsive behavioral health, Harrington recently secured grant funding to fold a behavioral health component into primary care offices, making it much more accessible to patients. Harrington's 14-bed inpatient psychiatry unit and related efforts help patients and their families cope with mental illness. "Having inpatient psychiatry is a won- derful benefit for a hospital of this size," Dr. Powers says. Care Partners Another way Harrington HealthCare extends TLC is through partnerships THE WAIT IS OVER: INNOVATIVE $9M EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT OPENS WITH A BIG boost from private donors and an allocation by the state of Massachusetts, The Remillard Family Emergency Department (ED) in Webster is a reality. Harrington HealthCare's Webster ED has been transformed inside and out, more than tripling in size from 3,000 to 13,000 square feet and incorporating the latest state-of- the-art technology to provide advanced treatment capabilities around the clock. Additions include: + Ambulance entrance for EMS patients + New main entrance and waiting areas + Nine patient treatment rooms, including cardiac, negative pressure isolation, and trauma + Private family waiting areas + Three separate treatment areas for psychiatric ED patients "It was imperative to develop a com- munity emergency department that can treat every patient or stabilize and transfer them when necessary, and I think this is going to have profound impact," says Arthur Russo, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Harrington HealthCare System. "Again, this is an example of caring for patients who no longer have to travel to Worcester and other areas when they need immediate help." "In the Harrington EDs in Southbridge and now in Webster, we aim to see patients in 15 minutes or less, which is the shortest wait time in the region," says Ed Moore, President and CEO of Harrington HealthCare System. ■ "As the healthcare world changes, Harrington HealthCare System has continued to grow, do what it needs to do for the community and remain independent, because we believe it is better for the community to have decisions made by people who live and work here. We are proud to be one of the few remaining nonprofit community healthcare systems." — Ed Moore, President and CEO of Harrington HealthCare System Open for business: (L-R) Emergency Care Center Assistant Nurse Manager Beth Dowd, Emergency Medicine Physician John Flanagan, MD, and Satellite Operations Manager Pam Zouranjian-Connor prepare for opening of the new Remillard Family Emergency Department on Harrington's Webster campus. M D N E W S . CO M ■ MD NEWS Greater Boston | 7

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