INSIGHT

INSIGHT INSIGHTArnotHealth

Total Joint Advantage, Arnot Health’s knee replacement program, has received the prestigious Gold Seal of Approval by The Joint Commission, the nation’s leading healthcare accrediting body.

Arnot Ogden Medical Center is the first in the region, and New York State, to receive this distinctive program certification.

“Arnot Ogden Medical Center has made a commitment to integrate quality improvement principles into its daily operations to improve safety and patient outcomes,” says Dr. William Bishop, orthopedic surgeon with Finger Lakes Orthopedics and member of Arnot Health’s Board of Managers. “The Joint Commission is recognizing that commitment with this certification.”

The Joint Commission is an independent, not-for-profit organization that accredits and certifies more than 15,000 healthcare organizations and programs in the United States. Joint Commission accreditation and certification is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards. The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare.

To earn Disease-Specific Certification, Arnot Health’s knee replacement program underwent a thorough on-site review of the quality and safety of care

Arnot’s Knee Replacement Program First in Region Certified by Joint Commission

In this issue:

• Gold Seal for Knee Program Page 1

• QUEST Quality Program Page 2

Departments / Issues:

• Cardiology Services Expanded

• 2008 Patient Safety Goals

New Appointments:

• Janusz Sosniak, MD

January 2008

News and Information for Physicians and Medical Professionals

being provided and has proven a commitment to meeting rigorous national standards—continuously.

This is not the first national recognition Total Joint Advantage has received. In addition to recognition by the Joint Commission, the program was recently given a superior 5-star care rating by HealthGrades. That organization also named Arnot Health’s program the #1 orthopedic offering in the region, and listed it among the top 10% of comparable programs in the nation. HealthGrades is the nation’s leading healthcare ratings company, providing quality and

cost information to consumers and advisory services and products to hospitals, employers, health plans and others.

In 2005, Arnot Health teamed with the Human Motion Institute (HMI), a Pittsburgh-based firm specializing in the coordination and delivery of care related to bones, muscles and joints. The partnership focused on improving clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction as well as optimizing coordination of care.

Continued from Page 1

ArnotHealth

600 Roe AvenueElmira, New York 14905

Non-ProfitOrganizationUS Postage

PAIDElmira, NY

Permit No. 157

ArnotHealth

ArnotHealth Quality Healthcare Close to Home

4

Arnot Health is a community-based, not-for-profit healthcare system operated for the public benefit.Contents may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission. 607-735-5357 / www.arnothealth.org

-Continued on Page 4

January 2008

Quality Healthcare Close to HomeArnotHealth

Program to Improve Quality, Safety & Efficiency

Arnot Health is one of 175 Charter Members nationwide taking its vision of delivering world-class healthcare to new heights through the “QUEST: High Performing Hospitals” program. QUEST—which stands for Quality, Efficiency, Safety and Transparency—is a three-year voluntary program in which participating hospitals and health systems work together to develop and share best practices while at the same time reducing healthcare costs.

“Arnot Health is committed to achieving the best patient outcomes,” stated William Huffner, M.D., Ph.D., and Vice President of Medical Affairs at Arnot Health. “The charter members of this innovative program will work together to drive the standard for quality and become the top performers in quality, efficiency and safety in the next three years.”

QUEST is a program of the Premier Healthcare alliance. Participating hospitals and health systems will report data on a set of clearly defined performance measures in the following five key areas of hospital performance including: · Mortality Ratio· Appropriate Care· Efficiency· Harm Avoidance· Patient Satisfaction

Goal: Improve the safety of using medications.Requirement: Identify and annually review a list of look-alike/sound-alike drugs and take action to prevent their interchange. Label medications and containers on and off the sterile field. Reduce the likelihood of patient harm associated with the use of anti-coagulation therapy.

Goal: Reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections.Requirement: Comply with CDC hand hygiene guidelines. Manage cases of unanticipated death and major permanent loss of function as sentinel events. Reconcile medications across the continuum of care and compare patient’s current medication to those ordered while in the Medical Center. Forward a complete list of medications to the next provider of services and patient upon discharge.

Goal: Identify safety risks inherent in the patient population.Requirement: Identify patients at risk for suicide.

Goal: Improve recognition and response to changes in patient’s condition.Requirements: The organization selects a suitable method that enables healthcare staff members to directly request additional assistance from a specially trained individual when the patient’s condition appears to be worsening.

Pain Management

The Pain Management services at Arnot Ogden Medical Center have moved from the 2C unit to the Heart and Vascular Institute. You can access the services by calling 607-737-4438.

Arnot Ogden Medical Center Medical Physician Lounge

The physician lounge at Arnot Ogden Medical Center will be undergoing renovations. The lounge will be closed until renovations are complete. Coats and personal items can be stored in the Medical Staff Offices.

New Cardiology Services in Canton, PA

The Arnot Medical Services cardiologists are now visiting Canton PA. Nuclear and echo testing are now also available in the Canton, PA location.

As part of the three-year program, the first year will focus on mortality, appropriate care and efficiency. In year two, the program will analyze harm avoidance and patient satisfaction. Premier will analyze the data, facilitate sharing of best practices and provide incentives for top-performing hospitals.

The QUEST program builds on the success of the Premier/CMS Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration project (HQID) –a highly successful pay-for-performance initiative currently at its halfway point with Premier and the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services. Arnot Health has been involved with HQID study since its inception.

The study also builds on the momentum of hospitals focused on harm reduction in the Institute for HealthCare Improvement’s (IHI) 5 Million Lives Campaign, a two-year voluntary initiative to protect patients from five million incidents of medical harm.

For more information about QUEST contact Executive Director of Quality Management Services Kathy Hale at 607-737-4301.

Quality Initiative Patient Safety New Medical Staff

2 3

January 2008

ArnotHealth Quality Healthcare Close to Home

INSIGHT

The Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goals for 2008 are designed to focus the efforts of healthcare organizations like Arnot Health on the priority areas with the greatest opportunities for improving patient safety.

Goal: Reduce the risk of harm from falls.Requirement: Implement a fall reduction program including an evaluation of the program’s effectiveness.

Goal: Encourage patients’ active involvement in their own care as a patient safety strategy.Requirement: Define and communicate the means for patients and their families to report concerns about safety and encourage them to do so.

Goal: Improve the accuracy of patient identification.Requirements: Use at least two patient identifiers when giving medication, treatment or services.

Goal: Improve the effectiveness of communication among caregivers. Requirement: Verify verbal or telephone orders or critical test results by having the person receiving the information read back the order or test result. Standardize a list of abbreviations, acronyms, symbols and dose designations not to be used throughout the organization. Improve timeliness of reporting critical test results and values, and implement standard approach to “hand off” communications.

Sosniak Joins AMS

Arnot Medical Services and Arnot Health are pleased to welcome Janusz Sosniak, M.D. Dr. Sosniak has an established medical practice in Elmira, and joins AMS with over 14 years of experience in this region.

Dr. Sosniak received his medical degree from Medical College in Bialystok, Poland and his internal medicine residency at Interfaith Medical College in Brooklyn, NY. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine.

Arnot Health 2008 Officers and Department Chairpersons

Medical Staff Officers:Terence M. Lenhardt, MD, PresidentWilliam C. Bishop, MD, Vice PresidentJ. Gregory Schultz, MD, Secretary/ Treasurer

Medical Staff Chairpersons:Dept. of Anesthesia Kevin D. DeLuca, MDDept. of Emergency Medicine Kevin P. O’Connor, MD Dept. of Family Medicine Marianne D. Everett, DO Dept. of Medicine Michael Cilip, MDDept. of OB/GYN Sungji Chai, MD Dept. of Pathology Terence M. Lenhardt, MDDept. of Pediatrics Alan B. Roessler, MDDept. of Radiology David T. Rayne, MDDept. of Surgery Mark S. Anthony, MD

William A. DeLuccia, MD will serve as Member-at-Large.

Department News

Quality Healthcare Close to HomeArnotHealth

Program to Improve Quality, Safety & Efficiency

Arnot Health is one of 175 Charter Members nationwide taking its vision of delivering world-class healthcare to new heights through the “QUEST: High Performing Hospitals” program. QUEST—which stands for Quality, Efficiency, Safety and Transparency—is a three-year voluntary program in which participating hospitals and health systems work together to develop and share best practices while at the same time reducing healthcare costs.

“Arnot Health is committed to achieving the best patient outcomes,” stated William Huffner, M.D., Ph.D., and Vice President of Medical Affairs at Arnot Health. “The charter members of this innovative program will work together to drive the standard for quality and become the top performers in quality, efficiency and safety in the next three years.”

QUEST is a program of the Premier Healthcare alliance. Participating hospitals and health systems will report data on a set of clearly defined performance measures in the following five key areas of hospital performance including: · Mortality Ratio· Appropriate Care· Efficiency· Harm Avoidance· Patient Satisfaction

Goal: Improve the safety of using medications.Requirement: Identify and annually review a list of look-alike/sound-alike drugs and take action to prevent their interchange. Label medications and containers on and off the sterile field. Reduce the likelihood of patient harm associated with the use of anti-coagulation therapy.

Goal: Reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections.Requirement: Comply with CDC hand hygiene guidelines. Manage cases of unanticipated death and major permanent loss of function as sentinel events. Reconcile medications across the continuum of care and compare patient’s current medication to those ordered while in the Medical Center. Forward a complete list of medications to the next provider of services and patient upon discharge.

Goal: Identify safety risks inherent in the patient population.Requirement: Identify patients at risk for suicide.

Goal: Improve recognition and response to changes in patient’s condition.Requirements: The organization selects a suitable method that enables healthcare staff members to directly request additional assistance from a specially trained individual when the patient’s condition appears to be worsening.

Pain Management

The Pain Management services at Arnot Ogden Medical Center have moved from the 2C unit to the Heart and Vascular Institute. You can access the services by calling 607-737-4438.

Arnot Ogden Medical Center Medical Physician Lounge

The physician lounge at Arnot Ogden Medical Center will be undergoing renovations. The lounge will be closed until renovations are complete. Coats and personal items can be stored in the Medical Staff Offices.

New Cardiology Services in Canton, PA

The Arnot Medical Services cardiologists are now visiting Canton PA. Nuclear and echo testing are now also available in the Canton, PA location.

As part of the three-year program, the first year will focus on mortality, appropriate care and efficiency. In year two, the program will analyze harm avoidance and patient satisfaction. Premier will analyze the data, facilitate sharing of best practices and provide incentives for top-performing hospitals.

The QUEST program builds on the success of the Premier/CMS Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration project (HQID) –a highly successful pay-for-performance initiative currently at its halfway point with Premier and the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services. Arnot Health has been involved with HQID study since its inception.

The study also builds on the momentum of hospitals focused on harm reduction in the Institute for HealthCare Improvement’s (IHI) 5 Million Lives Campaign, a two-year voluntary initiative to protect patients from five million incidents of medical harm.

For more information about QUEST contact Executive Director of Quality Management Services Kathy Hale at 607-737-4301.

Quality Initiative Patient Safety New Medical Staff

2 3

January 2008

ArnotHealth Quality Healthcare Close to Home

INSIGHT

The Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goals for 2008 are designed to focus the efforts of healthcare organizations like Arnot Health on the priority areas with the greatest opportunities for improving patient safety.

Goal: Reduce the risk of harm from falls.Requirement: Implement a fall reduction program including an evaluation of the program’s effectiveness.

Goal: Encourage patients’ active involvement in their own care as a patient safety strategy.Requirement: Define and communicate the means for patients and their families to report concerns about safety and encourage them to do so.

Goal: Improve the accuracy of patient identification.Requirements: Use at least two patient identifiers when giving medication, treatment or services.

Goal: Improve the effectiveness of communication among caregivers. Requirement: Verify verbal or telephone orders or critical test results by having the person receiving the information read back the order or test result. Standardize a list of abbreviations, acronyms, symbols and dose designations not to be used throughout the organization. Improve timeliness of reporting critical test results and values, and implement standard approach to “hand off” communications.

Sosniak Joins AMS

Arnot Medical Services and Arnot Health are pleased to welcome Janusz Sosniak, M.D. Dr. Sosniak has an established medical practice in Elmira, and joins AMS with over 14 years of experience in this region.

Dr. Sosniak received his medical degree from Medical College in Bialystok, Poland and his internal medicine residency at Interfaith Medical College in Brooklyn, NY. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine.

Arnot Health 2008 Officers and Department Chairpersons

Medical Staff Officers:Terence M. Lenhardt, MD, PresidentWilliam C. Bishop, MD, Vice PresidentJ. Gregory Schultz, MD, Secretary/ Treasurer

Medical Staff Chairpersons:Dept. of Anesthesia Kevin D. DeLuca, MDDept. of Emergency Medicine Kevin P. O’Connor, MD Dept. of Family Medicine Marianne D. Everett, DO Dept. of Medicine Michael Cilip, MDDept. of OB/GYN Sungji Chai, MD Dept. of Pathology Terence M. Lenhardt, MDDept. of Pediatrics Alan B. Roessler, MDDept. of Radiology David T. Rayne, MDDept. of Surgery Mark S. Anthony, MD

William A. DeLuccia, MD will serve as Member-at-Large.

Department News

INSIGHT

INSIGHT INSIGHTArnotHealth

Total Joint Advantage, Arnot Health’s knee replacement program, has received the prestigious Gold Seal of Approval by The Joint Commission, the nation’s leading healthcare accrediting body.

Arnot Ogden Medical Center is the first in the region, and New York State, to receive this distinctive program certification.

“Arnot Ogden Medical Center has made a commitment to integrate quality improvement principles into its daily operations to improve safety and patient outcomes,” says Dr. William Bishop, orthopedic surgeon with Finger Lakes Orthopedics and member of Arnot Health’s Board of Managers. “The Joint Commission is recognizing that commitment with this certification.”

The Joint Commission is an independent, not-for-profit organization that accredits and certifies more than 15,000 healthcare organizations and programs in the United States. Joint Commission accreditation and certification is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards. The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare.

To earn Disease-Specific Certification, Arnot Health’s knee replacement program underwent a thorough on-site review of the quality and safety of care

Arnot’s Knee Replacement Program First in Region Certified by Joint Commission

In this issue:

• Gold Seal for Knee Program Page 1

• QUEST Quality Program Page 2

Departments / Issues:

• Cardiology Services Expanded

• 2008 Patient Safety Goals

New Appointments:

• Janusz Sosniak, MD

January 2008

News and Information for Physicians and Medical Professionals

being provided and has proven a commitment to meeting rigorous national standards—continuously.

This is not the first national recognition Total Joint Advantage has received. In addition to recognition by the Joint Commission, the program was recently given a superior 5-star care rating by HealthGrades. That organization also named Arnot Health’s program the #1 orthopedic offering in the region, and listed it among the top 10% of comparable programs in the nation. HealthGrades is the nation’s leading healthcare ratings company, providing quality and

cost information to consumers and advisory services and products to hospitals, employers, health plans and others.

In 2005, Arnot Health teamed with the Human Motion Institute (HMI), a Pittsburgh-based firm specializing in the coordination and delivery of care related to bones, muscles and joints. The partnership focused on improving clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction as well as optimizing coordination of care.

Continued from Page 1

ArnotHealth

600 Roe AvenueElmira, New York 14905

Non-ProfitOrganizationUS Postage

PAIDElmira, NY

Permit No. 157

ArnotHealth

ArnotHealth Quality Healthcare Close to Home

4

Arnot Health is a community-based, not-for-profit healthcare system operated for the public benefit.Contents may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission. 607-735-5357 / www.arnothealth.org

-Continued on Page 4

January 2008