|
Methodist Hospital is one of only 176 hospitals nationwide to be ranked in U.S. News & World Report’s 17th annual America’s Best Hospitals survey for 2006.
The top 50 hospitals in each of 16 specialties were listed.  Methodist Hospital ranked 38th among the hospitals heralded for orthopedic services and was the only hospital in Nebraska to be included among America’s Best Hospitals.
The overall performance of a hospital was determined by a score made up of three equal parts: reputation, mortality/death rate and a mixture of care-related factors, such as nursing and patient services.
Methodist Hospital was the first hospital in Omaha to be designated a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care by Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Selection was based on evaluation of inpatient cardiac care, cardiac rehabilitation, cardiac catheterization and cardiac surgery.
Details about Methodist’s lower mortality rates for heart procedures were highlighted in “Quality Spotlight” in the Summer 2006 edition of Health Connections, available on www.bestcare.org.
The National Research Corporation (NRC) has again named Methodist Hospital a Consumer Choice Award winner. Each year NRC honors hospitals in 200 U.S. markets that consumers have rated as having the best quality and image.
In July, Methodist Hospital became one of the first hospitals in the area to implement bar coding verification of bedside medications. Using technology similar to the bar code scanning at the store checkout, nurses scan a patient’s identification band and then the bar code of the medication. A special computer system checks to make sure the right patient is getting the right dosage of the right medication at the right time via the correct route: the
“Five R’s” of medication safety.
Currently about
6 percent of hospitals nationwide utilize medication bar coding. Experts believe that 37 percent of medication errors can be eliminated by the use of medication bar coding. In addition to reducing patient pain and suffering and lost work time due to adverse events, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration estimates that bar code use could prevent nearly 500,000 medication and transfusion errors while saving $93 billion in health costs over 20 years.
Are your everyday activities becoming less enjoyable or
even impossible because of joint pain? Ajoy Jana, MD, orthopedic surgeon, will explain the options available to
keep your lifestyle active at this free presentation on Wednesday,
Nov. 1, 7–8:30 p.m., Methodist HealthWest (North Entrance), 16120 W. Dodge Road, Omaha. To register or for more information, call (402) 354-6183. |
Because good health and health care do not include the use of tobacco, Methodist Health System launched the Tobacco Free for Health Initiative. During the 2005 Great American Smokeout, Methodist Health System announced that the use of tobacco products is prohibited on the properties of all clinical affiliates effective Nov.  16, 2006, this year’s Great American Smokeout.
These Methodist Health System affiliates are “Tobacco Free for Health”:
- Jennie Edmundson Hospital
- Methodist Health System Corporate Offices
- Methodist Hospital
- Methodist Physicians Clinic
- Nebraska Methodist College — The Josie Harper Campus
Methodist Hospital was one of the first hospitals nationwide to join the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI) 100,000 Lives Campaign. Participating hospitals were asked to consistently deliver specific clinically-proven, lifesaving treatment measures in six areas. The campaign’s goal was to save 100,000 lives by June 14, 2006.
The 3,000 hospitals which joined the Campaign averted more than 122,000 preventable deaths within the time limit. Additional strategies for patient safety will soon be added.
For more information on quality care at Methodist Hospital, visit www.bestcare.org.
More than 40,000 adults die from vaccine-preventable diseases or their complications each year. Don’t forget that adults and adolescents continue to require some immunizations. Everyone should receive a tetanus booster every 10 years, as well as protection from hepatitis B. The elderly should also receive a pneumonia vaccination.
Influenza season will soon be here. Protect yourself and those around you by getting a flu shot. Methodist Physicians Clinic will be offering flu shots at each clinic location.
For the location of a clinic near you or a physician referral, call the Methodist Physician Referral Line at (402) 354-8888 or (800) 958-6498.
Page 1 | 2
|
