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4 ARCHBOLD
MEDICAL CENTER
FOR THE
SECOND YEAR
in a
row, Archbold’s Mitchell Convalescent
Center (MCC) has received an
Excellence in Action award for achiev-
ing the highest levels of resident
and staff satisfaction—in the top 10
MITCHELL CONVALESCENT CENTER
Excellence in action
percent—in a survey administered by
the National Research Corporation, the
largest warehouse of long-term and
senior living satisfaction metrics in the
United States.
Excellence in Action award winners
must have achieved a minimum of
10 responses with a minimum 30 percent
response rate in a customer satisfaction
survey. Winners also had to score in the top
10 percent of qualifying facilities on the per-
centage of respondents rating the facility
as “excellent” in response to: “What is your
recommendation of this facility to others.”
“Our No. 1 priority is to ensure our
residents receive the care they need and
Grady General
wins award
for Clinical
Excellence
GRADY GENERAL HOSPITAL
(GGH) recently received a 2014 Leadership
Award from VHA Georgia in the Clinical
Excellence category for the hospital’s suc-
cess in reducing early elective deliveries
(EEDs). GGH won first place in the catego-
ry of hospitals with 50 to 149 beds.
EEDs are classified as induced or ce-
sarean section deliveries after 37 weeks
of pregnancy but before 39 completed
weeks that are performed when there is
no medical necessity.
“Delivery at 37 or 38 weeks has widely
been considered safe—but that’s not al-
ways the case,” says GGH Birthing Center
manager Vicki Jenkins, RNC-OB, BSN.
“Infant mortality is at least 50 percent
higher for babies born at 37 or 38 weeks,
compared to those born at 39 or 40,”
adds obstetrician and gynecologist Raina
Ferenchick, MD. “These babies are also
more likely to suffer breathing, feeding
and developmental problems.”
“When we started looking at this as a
possible improvement project, we knew
GGH didn’t have a 0 percent EED rate,”
Jenkins says. “But through the discovery
process, we were very surprised to learn
we had a rate that was more than 50
percent, and this further influenced our
decision to focus on this area.”
Through a multidisciplinary, collabora-
tive effort, GGH’s team developed new
policies and procedures and educated all
nurses and physicians on the new proto-
cols. In the past seven quarters, GGH has
had a 0 percent EED rate, surpassing the
goal of 5 percent.
“When presented with factual,
quantitative data and the ‘why’ behind
implementation of a new policy, our en-
tire clinical team recognized the need to
reduce EEDs—because it’s what is best
for our patients,” Jenkins says.
“We truly feel we have hardwired this
change into practice and are excited
to know that we are providing the best
and safest care to all our OB patients,”
says Crystal Ramm, RN, MSN, director of
nursing at GGH.
Grady General Hospital was recently awarded a 2014 Leadership Award in the Clinical
Excellence category for the hospital’s successful initiative to reduce early elective
deliveries. Teammembers pictured include (front row): Kendra Lynch, MD; Vicki Jenkins
RNC-OB, BSN, nurse manager of the Birthing Center; Jessica Spires RN, BSN; Rita Pollock,
RN; Raina Ferenchick, MD; Crystal Ramm, RN, MSN, director of nursing. Back row: Steve
Pearce, CRNA; Julie Dumas, RN, BSN, quality director; Jonathan Lynch, MD; Zita Magloire,
MD; Mark Hudson, DO; Ashley Register, MD.