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Tanner Medical Center/Villa Rica Named to Georgia Hospital Association Hospital Engagement Network Safety Leaders Circle



Tanner Medical Center/Villa Rica has been named to the Georgia Hospital Association’s (GHA) Hospital Engagement Network (HEN) Safety Leaders Circle, which recognizes hospitals’ improvements in patient care throughout the 2012 year.

The hospital was one of only 12 hospitals to place in the Presidential Circle, which positions it in the top third of all 116 Georgia hospitals participating in the GHA HEN. The initiative began last year and is part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service’s (CMS) Partnership for Patients.

GHA, through its Partnership for Health and Accountability, is one of 27 organizations nationally to be awarded federal funding to coordinate the implementation of a series of projects with hospitals. The goals of these projects are to reduce hospital-acquired conditions by 40 percent and hospital readmissions by 20 percent by the end of 2013. CMS states that it has the potential to save 60,000 lives annually and create $35 billion in savings to the nation’s health care system. Additionally, it can help prevent 1.8 million injuries and 1.6 million patient readmissions.

To achieve these goals, there are major directives from CMS regarding improved care in 10 core measures: Four are related to hospital-acquired infections; four are related to hospital-acquired conditions; one is related to obstetrics and trying to eliminate elective deliveries before 39 weeks; and one is related to transition of care and reduction of readmissions. As part of their participation in the GHA Hospital Engagement Network, hospitals selected two of these areas on which to focus in 2012. Scores for the Safety Leaders Circle are based on several criteria, including a database that measures hospitals’ improvement in their respective selected areas.

“Thanks to the leadership and commitment of Tanner Medical Center/Villa Rica, we are well on our way to achieving the significant life-saving goals of this important initiative,” said Joseph Parker, president of GHA.

“I am proud to recognize the hard work of Tanner Medical Center/Villa Rica staff and applaud their efforts and commitment to ensuring the reduction of infections and readmissions,” said Loy Howard, president and CEO of Tanner Health System. “Tanner Health System is committed to providing the highest possible patient safety and quality care for every patient, every day. This award is a testament to that continuing commitment.”

The Partnership for Health and Accountability, formed in January 2000 and sponsored by GHA, is a unique statewide collaborative that brings together health care providers with community agencies and individuals to achieve healthy communities. The Partnership for Health and Accountability includes representation from groups like hospitals, physicians, state health officials, legislators and businesses.

Tanner has recently garnered a number of other accolades for its quality of care. Research firm Thomson Reuters named Tanner Health System one of the 15 Top Health Systems in the nation for 2012, and Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton and Tanner Medical Center/Villa Rica received Outstanding Patient Experience awards for the second consecutive year from healthcare ratings firm Healthgrades. Higgins General Hospital has been named one of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals in the Nation by the National Rural Health Association.

All three of Tanner’s inpatient acute and critical access hospitals have been named among the nation’s “Top Performers on Key Quality Measures” by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of healthcare organizations in America, and each of the hospitals are among only 17 hospitals in the state named to the Chairman’s Category of the Georgia Hospital Association’s Quality Honor Roll—the highest category.

For more information on how Tanner Health System compares to other regional hospitals in key quality measures, visit www.TannerQuality.org. To find a physician on Tanner’s medical staff, click Find a Doctor or call 770.214.CARE.

Tanner Medical Center/Villa Rica has been named to the Georgia Hospital Association’s (GHA) Hospital Engagement Network (HEN) Safety Leaders Circle, which recognizes hospitals’ improvements in patient care throughout the 2012 year.

The hospital was one of only 12 hospitals to place in the Presidential Circle, which positions it in the top third of all 116 Georgia hospitals participating in the GHA HEN. The initiative began last year and is part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service’s (CMS) Partnership for Patients.

GHA, through its Partnership for Health and Accountability, is one of 27 organizations nationally to be awarded federal funding to coordinate the implementation of a series of projects with hospitals. The goals of these projects are to reduce hospital-acquired conditions by 40 percent and hospital readmissions by 20 percent by the end of 2013. CMS states that it has the potential to save 60,000 lives annually and create $35 billion in savings to the nation’s health care system. Additionally, it can help prevent 1.8 million injuries and 1.6 million patient readmissions.

To achieve these goals, there are major directives from CMS regarding improved care in 10 core measures: Four are related to hospital-acquired infections; four are related to hospital-acquired conditions; one is related to obstetrics and trying to eliminate elective deliveries before 39 weeks; and one is related to transition of care and reduction of readmissions. As part of their participation in the GHA Hospital Engagement Network, hospitals selected two of these areas on which to focus in 2012. Scores for the Safety Leaders Circle are based on several criteria, including a database that measures hospitals’ improvement in their respective selected areas.

“Thanks to the leadership and commitment of Tanner Medical Center/Villa Rica, we are well on our way to achieving the significant life-saving goals of this important initiative,” said Joseph Parker, president of GHA.

“I am proud to recognize the hard work of Tanner Medical Center/Villa Rica staff and applaud their efforts and commitment to ensuring the reduction of infections and readmissions,” said Loy Howard, president and CEO of Tanner Health System. “Tanner Health System is committed to providing the highest possible patient safety and quality care for every patient, every day. This award is a testament to that continuing commitment.”

The Partnership for Health and Accountability, formed in January 2000 and sponsored by GHA, is a unique statewide collaborative that brings together health care providers with community agencies and individuals to achieve healthy communities. The Partnership for Health and Accountability includes representation from groups like hospitals, physicians, state health officials, legislators and businesses.

Tanner has recently garnered a number of other accolades for its quality of care. Research firm Thomson Reuters named Tanner Health System one of the 15 Top Health Systems in the nation for 2012, and Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton and Tanner Medical Center/Villa Rica received Outstanding Patient Experience awards for the second consecutive year from healthcare ratings firm Healthgrades. Higgins General Hospital has been named one of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals in the Nation by the National Rural Health Association.

All three of Tanner’s inpatient acute and critical access hospitals have been named among the nation’s “Top Performers on Key Quality Measures” by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of healthcare organizations in America, and each of the hospitals are among only 17 hospitals in the state named to the Chairman’s Category of the Georgia Hospital Association’s Quality Honor Roll—the highest category.

For more information on how Tanner Health System compares to other regional hospitals in key quality measures, visit www.TannerQuality.org. To find a physician on Tanner’s medical staff, click Find a Doctor or call 770.214.CARE.

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