TAMC earns quality nods,
creates three nursing jobs
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Aroostook Medical Center was recently recognized for both safety and quality of care by national organizations and is making a change in clinical departments that will continue to improve both of these key areas for patients and staff.
TAMC has once again received an A in patient safety by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits. The group’s Hospital Safety Score assesses U.S. hospitals when it comes to preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents and infections.
“The Leapfrog Hospital Survey is the nation’s gold standard in evaluating hospital performance on quality, safety and resource use,” said Roland Joy, MSN, BSBA, RN, vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer. “By using national performance measures over a broad spectrum of hospital services, processes and structures, it not only helps patients make informed decisions, but helps hospitals as well. It is a way for us to benchmark progress in safety, quality and efficiency of care.”
Using 28 measures of hospital safety data, the group ranks hospitals with an A, B, C, D or F, representing a hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe from preventable harm.
“It is indeed gratifying for us to be included again this year among the state and nation’s safest hospitals. While it is nice to get recognized for the great work we do, the real reward is in knowing we put our patients’ well-being first. Patient safety is not a slogan here, it is deep in our culture, it is the TAMC way,” said Dr. Jay Reynolds, TAMC chief medical officer and chief clinical officer.
Additionally, the Presque Isle hospital was recently recognized for quality of patient care by Avatar Solutions, which measures and compares hospital safety and patient satisfaction based on patient, employee, and physician surveys. TAMC received both a Best Overall Performer Award and Exceeding Expectations Award.
The Best Overall Performer Award is presented to the top facilities in Avatar’s national database with the highest overall combined score for inpatient, outpatient, emergency department, and ambulatory surgery. This award recognizes high-performing facilities that demonstrate consistency of experiences by patient type throughout the organization. The Exceeding Patient Expectations Award is presented to healthcare organizations that deliver care beyond what is expected by patients in a number of areas including quality of care and reliability.
“These awards speak volumes for the great work that happens across our organization every day. It is to the credit of the entire team who strives to deliver the best, patient-centered care possible,” said Joy. “For those of us who work in healthcare, these are the honors that matter most, because they reflect the views of the people who entrust us with their lives and their health and well-being every day.”
Joy said TAMC is continually evaluating and making changes to strengthen both the safety and quality of care for patients as well as staff, and most recently has created three new clinical nurse leader (CNL) positions in the hospital’s inpatient clinical departments.
“While we have had clinical supervisors in the past in a couple of areas, we are really taking it to a whole new level,” explained Joy. “These nurses will take more of a leadership role, helping to guide and educate the nurses they work with, really helping them to reach higher clinical and educational expertise. They will make sure we are following the most recent best practices and help us develop our own best practices.”
TAMC nurses promoted to this new role are Amber Pratt, RN, who will serve as the clinical nurse leader for the hospital’s largest patient unit, medical/surgical/telemetry. Assisting her with that responsibility, as well as serving as the CNL for TAMC’s acute rehab unit, is Rebecca Palmer-Bugbee, RN. Shannon Taylor, RN, will divide her CNL duties between the emergency department and intensive care unit.
“The work of these CNLs will be another great resource for our nurses,” said Joy. “This goes beyond the education department that makes sure we have all of the training we need to meet state and national regulations. Ultimately, it will be great for patients, because we will always be researching and implementing the newest care protocols so that we can deliver the best care possible.”
