Springfield Hospital hosted an informative meeting with representatives of the Institute For Healthcare Improvement (IHI) on Tuesday, May 29, 2007. Attending the meeting were James Conway, Senior Vice President of IHI, Jennifer Chi, IHI Field Coordinator for the 5 Million Lives Campaign, Jill Olson, Vice President of Policy and Operations at the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, and several representatives of Springfield Hospital and its medical staff.
As part of its initiative to ensure patient safety and quality care, Springfield Hospital representatives shared details of several IHI programs currently in practice at the hospital, clearly demonstrating its commitment to IHI’s 5 Million Lives Campaign. Transforming Care at the Bedside, Improving Perinatal Care, and Rapid Response Teams were some of the initiatives discussed during the meeting.
The IHI is reaching out to hospitals across the nation to collaborate on its 5 Million Lives Campaign which it announced in December of 2006. The purpose of the campaign is to dramatically reduce incidents of medical harm to patients in U.S. hospitals, with a goal of preventing 5 million incidents of medical harm over a 24-month period, ending December 9, 2008. This new campaign is a continuing effort of its earlier success with its 100,000 Lives Campaign, which worked closely with 3,100 participating hospitals to reduce inpatient deaths by an estimated 122,000 in 18 months through overall improvement in care, including improvement associated with six interventions recommended by the initiative.
“Your very thoughtful process is just right,” commented James Conway, Senior Vice President of IHI as he discussed the planning that is required for successful implementation of quality and systems improvement programs. He continues, “It is humbling for IHI to see, firsthand, all the work you are doing. Our visit today is an excellent reminder of the importance of our work and the privilege we have been given.” His comments summarized a review of the hospital’s quality initiatives that directly impact patient care, such as patient rounding at the bedside, implementation of rapid response teams, falls prevention, and infection prevention, to name a few.
Springfield Hospital Board Chairman, Gerald R. Mittica, shared his perspective regarding some of the ongoing feedback he receives in the community, particularly in regard to patient care and service. He cited an incident where a resident shared their gratitude and appreciation for a Hospital employee who took the time to say “thank you for choosing Springfield Hospital.” He also outlined the value of the Patient Experience Team—a program the hospital uses to gather ongoing community input and involvement in hospital programs. “It is quite unusual to see such involved Board engagement as we are seeing here at Springfield Hospital, and particularly with your Patient Experience Team,” continued Conway. “We are having very a-typical conversations here—and we hope you will consider becoming involved in our Board and hospital mentoring programs so others can benefit from your accomplishments.”
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) is a non-for-profit organization leading the improvement and safety of health care throughout the world. IHI was founded in 1991 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
(L to R) Gerald R. Mittica, Springfield Medical Care Systems Chairman of the Board, James Conway, Senior Vice President of Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Jill Olson, Vice President of Policy and Operations, Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, Bob DeMarco, SH Chief of Quality and Systems Improvement, Jan Sherer, SH Chief of Patient Care Services, Thomas Crawford, MBA, FACHE, CEO, Springfield Hospital, Jennifer Chi, IHI Field Coordinator, 5 Million Lives Campaign, and David H. Halsey, MD, Medical Quality Officer, Springfield Hospital.