NUMC’S AWARD-WINNING CENTRAL LINE ASSOCIATED BLOOD STREAM INFECTIONS INITIATIVE RECOGNIZED IN JOINT COMMISSION BRIEFINGS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 23, 2012
PRESS CONTACT:
Shelley Lotenberg
shelley@numc.edu
516-572-6055
NUMC’S AWARD-WINNING CENTRAL LINE ASSOCIATED BLOOD STREAM INFECTIONS INITIATIVE RECOGNIZED IN JOINT COMMISSION BRIEFINGS
East Meadow, NY…….Arthur A. Gianelli, President/CEO of the NuHealth System, proudly announced that the Nassau University Medical Center’s award-winning central line associated blood stream infections (CLASBSI) initiative to improve the blood stream infection rates, has garnered national recognition by being included in the February 2012 edition of the Joint Commission publication Briefings. The improvement initiative was titled “Developing a low-cost solution to a high risk problem: Transforming the process of care to reduce central line associated bloodstream infections.”
An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 19,000 health care 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 article included in Briefings, identifies the three silos that NUMC used when developing process improvement for CLABSI prevention and the tools and tactics used by organizational surveyors in-house for improving CLASBI rates.
“This is another example of how the significant quality improvements that we have made over the last few years are garnering attention nationally and regionally. This recognition would not have been possible without Dr. Walerstein, our medical director, Maureen Shannon, our head of quality management, our entire clinical team that has been involved in this transformative effort and George Miner, MD, whose involvement as a board member was critical in demonstrating the full commitment of our organization to quality improvement as a priority,” said Gianelli. “This strategic performance improvement initiative looked at best practices at the hospital to ensure that staff were following appropriate steps, monitoring the initiative to transform the process of care to reduce infections, producing a culture change at the bedside, all to benefit our patients.”
Steven J. Walerstein, MD, FACP, NuHealth’s executive vice president for medical affairs and medical director congratulated the staff upon being recognized in the Joint Commission Briefings publication: “This is a tribute to the team formed by the department of quality management, under the leadership of Maureen P. Shannon, vice president of quality management, and to our staff for their stellar work and commitment to providing high quality care to LI’s most vulnerable populations. Leadership worked collaboratively to identify procedures for insertion and maintenance of central lines with improved monitoring of patient safety risks, with the medical leadership championing the initiative and nurses empowered to ensure maintenance of sterility during the insertion procedure.”
ABOUT NUHEALTH
NuHealth is a Long Island health care organization delivering essential medical care and disease and lifestyle management to everyone at every stage of life. Also known as Nassau Health Care Corporation, NuHealth is a public benefit corporation managing the operations of Nassau Medical Center, A. Holly Patterson Extended Care and a network of Family Health Centers that bring primary and specialty care out into the community. By emphasizing wellness, cultural sensitivity and collaborative efforts with the North Shore-LIJ Health System, NuHealth is working to make good care more affordable and easier to access.
For more information about NuHealth or its Centers of Care, visit www.nuhealth.net.