30 Hospitals Across The Hudson Valley Region Of New York State Form Alliance To Ensure Patient Safety

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 17 Aug 2008 - 0:00 PDT

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On Thursday, August 7, the Northern Metropolitan Hospital Association (NorMet) filed with the United States Department of Health & Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, to become a Patient Safety Organization. A new initiative offered thru the Federal Government, this makes NorMet one of the first in the state and the nation to file, giving the 30 hospitals participating in the PSO unprecedented federal protections to advance critically important work to prevent patient safety errors and save lives.

Hospitals partnering with the NorMet PSO will share information about quality of care, identify threats to patient safety, and then develop and implement best practices. The goal is to become among the safest hospitals in the nation, and in doing so, patient lives will be saved and improved, and health care costs reduced.

"By endorsing NorMet filing as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO), the CEOs who run these hospitals have again demonstrated their commitment to delivering the safest, highest quality of care," said Neil Abitabilo, President of NorMet. "Their commitment to delivering excellent care with compassion to the people of the region is reiterated with their visionary support of this new initiative."

The NorMet PSO will be a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. Its mission will be to improve the safety and quality of hospital care for patients in the 30 hospitals throughout a seven county region north of New York City. These hospitals have over 7200 acute-care beds, serving roughly 2.5 million people, and as of 2006, are providing annual services of approximately:

-- 260,464 inpatient discharges;
-- 719,927 emergency room visits; and
-- 3,873,291 outpatient visits.

clearing house, advocates with elected officials on behalf the 30 hospitals in the seven county region, and serves as liaison with numerous regulatory and health related agencies, all to support the hospitals' ability to provide excellent clinical care with compassion.

The NorMet Health Care Foundation [a 501(c)3] and Association [a 501(c)6] also provide and/or facilitates many educational services for members in the topics of quality improvement, disaster preparedness, workforce training, and health information technology. Within the past five years, NorMet has proudly served as one of the original 42 grantees for the US Department of Health & Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General, on a national Medical Reserve Corps demonstration project in disaster preparedness. NorMet also partnered with area colleges as a grantee of the US Department of Labor, in nurse education.

"The PSO is one more example of how our hospitals are dedicated to providing the highest quality of care in the most efficient and safe ways possible. Not only do they understand that healthcare is local, and a very human business, but they also understand the business and economic impact of quality care, and are dedicated to delivering it!" concluded Abitabilo.

Northern Metropolitan Hospital Association
www.normet.org

Source
Peggy Binzer
McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP
www.mckennalong.com