Rogue Valley Medical Center Scores High Marks in Surgical Care Improvement Project

Jan. 21, 2011 - PRLog -- The right decisions for improving healthcare come from having the right information. That is why Rogue Valley Medical Center (RVMC) volunteered to join with Acumentra Health in the Medicare-sponsored Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP)/Heart Failure Initiative to increase patient safety. Through this project, RVMC clinicians are tracking patient care and collecting data in order to find the best way to prevent surgical infections, surgical complications, and hospital readmissions. It’s called evidence-based medicine, and it is working.

Recently, RVMC earned Acumentra Health’s Outstanding Performance award for SCIP and an Excellent Performance award for Heart Failure. The awards were based on the proportion of patients whose care met all quality measures for which they were eligible (the Appropriate Care Measure). For January through March 2010, RVMC was among 11 Oregon hospitals with SCIP Appropriate Care Measure scores of 95 percent or greater, of which only three were large medical centers. For Heart Failure, RVMC was among 16 Oregon hospitals with Heart Failure Appropriate Care Measure scores of 90 percent or greater during the same period.

“Performance improvement is about better patient care and safety,” said Joan Voskes, director of performance improvement. ”And Rogue Valley Medical Center has made a 100 percent commitment to this concept.”

Ruth Medak, MD, associate medical director at Acumentra Health, oversees the SCIP/HF initiative for the 11 participating Oregon hospitals. “In addition to achieving major improvements in safety and quality of care, RVMC staff and physicians were key contributors to the overall success of the Oregon SCIP/HF Initiative. RVMC staff and physicians generously shared strategies and tools with other Initiative hospitals,” said Ruth Medak. At the awards presentation she noted, “RVMC’s strong senior leader support, engaged and supportive physician leadership, and superb quality management team were the critical factors for success in this Initiative and for the future.”

Acumentra Health is a nonprofit consulting company dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of health care. The company contracts with the Medicare program to support safe, evidence-based care for Medicare beneficiaries in Oregon, and oversees the state’s Medicare Beneficiary Protection Program. Acumentra Health also provides external review of managed health care services for Medicaid enrollees in Oregon and Washington.

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Asante Health System is a non-profit organization providing advanced medical care to over 550,000 people in Southern Oregon and Northern California. It includes Rogue Valley Medical Center in Medford and Three Rivers Community Hospital in Grants Pass.