Piedmont Newnan Hospital Wins Statewide Patient Safety Award

ATLANTA, Ga. (Feb. 9, 2010) - The Partnership for Health and Accountability (PHA) presented its prestigious Quality and Patient Safety Award to Piedmont Newnan Hospital for its project that reduced raw mortality rates. The project titled, “ ‘Big Dot’ Focus on Mortality Reduction,” won second place in the Hospitals with 100 to 299 Beds Category. These annual awards recognize Georgia health care organizations for achievement in reducing the risk of medical errors and improving patient safety and medical outcomes.

In July 2007, Piedmont Newnan’s raw mortality was below the national average of 3 percent; however their rates were significantly above the other hospitals in the Piedmont Healthcare System. Goals were to reduce raw mortality by 10 percent and to reduce the hospitalized standardized mortality ratio (HSMR) from 78.0 to less than 70.5. The HSMR compares the actual number of deaths in a hospital with the average experience, after adjusting several factors that may affect in-hospital mortality rates, such as the age, sex and admission status of patients.

A multidisciplinary team performed an intensive review of the last 50 deaths. The focus was to identify common themes with emphasis on deaths that may have been preventable.

Changes to improve quality and safety included improving hand-off communication among clinicians; ensuring patients were admitted to the appropriate level of care; and early identification of sepsis.

Results showed a 17 percent decrease in raw mortality and a 40 percent reduction in HSMR. Non-emergency department patients who received sepsis treatment increased from 25 percent to 84 percent.

“Some of the top priorities for hospitals throughout the state are improving patient safety and doing everything possible to reduce raw mortality rates,” said Georgia Hospital Association (GHA) President Joseph Parker. “We applaud Piedmont Newman Hospital for its leadership and dedication in these critical areas and its commitment to providing the best and safest care possible for its patients.”

About PHA
The Partnership for Health and Accountability (PHA) was established in January 2000 to improve patient care and patient safety in hospitals and other health care facilities and create healthy communities.

About GHA
Established in 1929, GHA is the state’s largest trade organization of hospitals and health systems providing education, research and risk management services to its more than 170 hospital and health system members. Additionally, it represents and advocates health policy issues benefiting Georgia’s citizens before the state legislature and U.S. Congress as well as before regulatory bodies.