At the first annual EMHS Quality Summit, 66 innovative quality initiatives were submitted to demonstrate commitment to quality. There were two categories, Excellence in Quality Leadership and Quality Performance Excellence. VNA Home Health Hospice (VNA) received recognition for Excellence in Quality Leadership. Winners were selected by a guest panel of judges from across the state including Sandra Parker, vice president and general counsel for the Maine Hospital Association; Peter Sirois, CEO of Northern Maine Medical Center; and Lisa Swanson Caruso, lecturer for the University of Maine’s School of Nursing, where she teaches Leadership and Healthcare Policy.
Maine hospitals, including EMHS member organizations, have demonstrated exceptional transparency and achieved some of the highest national standards for safety and quality. Leah Wright, VNA vice president of Quality, Compliance and Informatics, recognized the need to improve medication reconciliation for their patients. Together with Kristine Rogers, manager of Nursing Education, and Jessica St. Peter, manager of Clinical Services in the Presque Isle office, new processes and staff education were developed to promote the importance of medication reconciliation. The outcome was improvement in patient experience scores related to medication management, a leading cause of re-hospitalization nation-wide. “VNA knows well that the homecare setting is uniquely positioned to provide hands-on medication reconciliation taking into account a variety of influencers including living environment and other socio-economic factors. The commitment of the Presque Isle clinical team under the leadership of Jessica made this processes a success,” stated Leah Wright.
