2007-05-08 17:33:28 -
ROYAL OAK, Mich., May 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Beaumont Hospitals, the Michigan Health & Hospital Association's Keystone Center for Patient Safety & Quality and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan today announced an initiative to make surgery safer through best-practice, evidence-based medicine.
A key aspect of the initiative is for the entire surgical team to conduct a one- to two-minute preoperative communication briefing. This is designed to ensure that members of the team have communicated every aspect of the case among themselves and that any questions or concerns they may have
are addressed. Topics for discussion include: the operative plan; patient risks; potential hazards; safety concerns; and knowledge of required equipment needed for each case. In addition to the briefings, other goals of the initiative are to reduce the number of mislabeled specimens; eliminate surgical site infections; and create a climate of safety for staff.
Beaumont -- one of a small number of sites in the country piloting Keystone-related surgery safety measures -- implemented preoperative communication briefings in October as part of a pilot project.
"We're striving for 100 percent participation with the briefings," says Robert J. Welsh, M.D., vice chief of surgery and chief of thoracic (chest) surgery for Beaumont Hospitals. "In all my years as a surgeon, I don't recall a more important effort to practice safe, quality surgery."
The Keystone Center was created by the MHA in March 2003 in response to growing concerns about patient safety and health care quality and in recognition of the unique willingness of Michigan hospitals to collaborate to improve care. Since its inception, the center has coordinated partnerships and initiatives to improve patient treatment and safety in intensive care units; reduce the incidence of hospital-acquired infections; and to boost organ donations. In 2006 BCBSM contributed $6 million to enable Keystone to broaden its activities and to help keep costs as low as possible for participating hospitals. MHA member hospitals and grants have also contributed funding.
"The over-arching goal of the MHA Keystone Center for Patient Safety & Quality is to advance the vision of Michigan as a destination for world class health care," says Sam R. Watson, executive director, MHA Keystone Center for Patient Safety & Quality. "Building on the enormous success that Michigan hospitals have achieved -- which already have the safest hospitals in the country -- we look forward to launching Keystone: Surgery."
"Our collaborative venture and investment in MHA's Keystone Center is a direct result of the impressive goals they have been able to achieve by working directly with hospitals, physicians and providers of care," says Robert Milewski, senior vice president of Contracting and Hospital Relations at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. "By coming together in initiatives like these, we greatly increase our opportunity and ability to improve the state of health care in Michigan."
About Beaumont Hospitals
Beaumont has two hospitals in Royal Oak and Troy, with more than 2,400 private-practice physicians in more than 91 medical and surgical specialties. Beaumont also includes seven community-based medical centers, four nursing care centers, a research institute, home care and hospice. Beaumont's 1,061- bed Royal Oak hospital is a major teaching, research and referral center with Level I trauma designation that is first in the United States for inpatient admissions and second for total surgeries. Beaumont's 296-bed Troy hospital is an acute-care facility that is among the nation's leading community hospitals for admissions and surgeries. Surgical teams at Beaumont Hospitals performed 75,637 surgeries in 2006. Visit Beaumont's Web site at http://www.beaumonthospitals.com/.
About BCBSM
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit corporation, provides or administers health care benefits to just over 4.7 million members through a variety of plans: Traditional Blue Cross Blue Shield; Blue Preferred, Community Blue and Healthy Blue PPOs; Blue Care Network HMO, and Flexible Blue plans compatible with health savings accounts. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit corporations and independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
About MHA and Keystone
The MHA is a state association, based in Lansing, that represents and supports Michigan hospitals, health systems and health care providers through education, advocacy and communication. The MHA's Keystone Center for Patient Safety & Quality was created in March 2003 as a 501(c)(3) division of the MHA Health Foundation and is headquartered at the MHA in Lansing. MHA Keystone brings together hospitals, national experts and best practice evidence to improve patient safety by addressing the quality of health care delivery at the bedside.
Source: Beaumont Hospitals
