CMH earns statewide award for care
The Maryland Hospital Association presented Calvert Memorial with a special award for quality care at its annual meeting in June. CMH was one of two Maryland hospitals to earn this recognition. Seventeen hospitals submitted entries for consideration.

Calvert Memorial was selected by MHA because of its efforts to reduce pressure ulcers among long-term patients. The judges said of CMH: “An excellent example of teamwork … the changes were sustained over a long period of time … their approach has been embraced by other areas of the organization.”

“(This award) sends a strong signal that CMH cares about its work, monitors its performance and looks for opportunities to improve,” said Nell Wood of the QI Project, which measures and reports on healthcare quality in Maryland.

MHA’s Quality Indicator Project began in 1985 with seven hospitals voluntarily submitting data. Today, 1,200 healthcare providers including home care agencies and long-term care facilities participate.

“Our staff should be very proud of their accomplishment,” said Susan Dohony, vice president for performance improvement and risk management at CMH. “Their involvement drives the changes and ongoing monitoring assures the improvements are sustained.”

Dohony talked about the role community hospitals play in fostering quality care. “When an outcome is not what we expect,” she said, “we carefully and thoroughly evaluate the care provided and make the changes needed.”

She went on to add, “We learn and apply lessons from every quality concern raised by patients, family and staff.”

For instance, in 1998 a total of 38 pressure ulcers were identified in 368 discharges from the Transitional Care Unit. (The TCU provides long-term care for patients recovering from stroke, joint replacement surgery and other complex medical conditions.) While the hospital’s rate of 1 percent was below the national benchmark of 2 percent, it was still above the goal set by CMH at 0.5 percent.

A team was formed to look at the issue. It consisted of nurses, nursing assistants, wound care specialists, a dietitian and an occupational therapist. The team developed assessment tools for the staff to target patients at risk. They also implemented prevention strategies and provided staff education.

These changes produced a sharp drop in the numbers. In 1999, the rate of pressure ulcers among TCU patients fell to 0.29 percent – an outstanding performance that has been sustained for five years. Moving forward, the hospital has created a wound care team to train additional staff to use the new treatment methods.