CRHS Wins Touchstone Award for Patient Safety

Recently, CRHS's dedication to keeping patients safe was recognized by the Carolinas HealthCare System, who awarded CRHS the highest possible award for improving patient safety and quality of care in 2015—the gold level Touchstone Award.

"We've worked hard to put patients first at every step of the process," says Rebecca Jernigan, RN, BSN, ACM, director of Care Management and Quality Management for CRHS.

"Patient safety is part of our culture. We're always looking for ways to standardize and improve care. Those values are deeply ingrained, from our senior leadership to our frontline team members who work directly with patients. That's how we constantly keep improving."

Putting in the Work

The Touchstone Award goes to hospitals that have shown improvement in procedures and safety statistics.

From 2014 to 2015, CRHS has clearly measurable improvements in both safety and quality. Some of those important changes include:

• A 64 percent reduction in surgical site infections.
• The reduction of catheter-associated urinary tract infections, MRSA infections and C. difficile infections.
• A documented adherence to strict hand hygiene guidelines of more than 90 percent.
• A daily huddle to discuss patients with infections.
• New tracking procedures for patients with infections so the entire staff knows where they are at all times.
• The use of McKesson Performance Visibility™ software to track patient care in real time.
• New procedures that reduce the need to restrain patients, including activity boards for patients with dementia and constant supervision by a CRHS team member.