Long-term Dedication and Focus Saves Lives
SACRAMENTO, Calif., February 4, 2010 – A best-practice approach established in 2007 has helped reduce—and, in some cases, eliminate—the incidence of central line associated blood stream infections in hospitals affiliated with the not-for-profit Sutter Health network.
“Our top priority is to ensure that every patient receives the absolute best quality care,” said Gordon Hunt, M.D., chief medical officer for Sutter Health. “For more than three years, our system has followed a comprehensive program to eliminate central line associated blood stream infections (CLABSIs). By implementing best practices for treating patients with intravascular central line catheters, and improving training and education, the rate of these infections has steadily decreased across our network. In fact nine of our affiliated hospitals maintained zero CLABSIs for at least one year,” he added.
The latest Sutter Health data available (through third quarter 2009) shows:
9 affiliated hospitals maintained zero CLABSIs for at least one year.
6 affiliated hospitals reported zero CLABSIs for two years.
39 patient lives saved as a result of focused efforts to reduce CLABSI
242 infections prevented as a result of focused efforts to reduce CLABSI
“Central line associated blood stream infections are preventable,” noted Dr. Hunt. “By establishing and following a set of evidence-based interventions, our affiliated hospitals have achieved significant reductions in infections, which means an even safer hospital stay for patients.”
Sutter Health-affiliated hospitals report their rates of CLABSI to the California Department of Public Health and the federal Centers for Disease Control.
Hospitals / ICU Central Line Days / Infection rate
Memorial Hospital Los Banos / 86 / No Infections
Mills Peninsula Health Services / 3,071 / No Infections
Novato Community Hospital / 622 / No Infections
San Leandro Hospital / 1,192 / No Infections
Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital / 599 / No Infections
Sutter Coast Hospital / 1,247 / No Infections
Sutter Lakeside Hospital / 545 / No Infections
Sutter Medical Center Santa Rosa / 2,245 / No Infections
Sutter Roseville Medical Center / 3,672 / No Infections
Memorial Medical Center Modesto / 6,694 / Better than national average
Marin General Hospital / 1,948 / Better than national average
St Luke’s Hospital / 1,647 / Better than national average
Sutter Davis Hospital / 1,393 / Better than national average
Eden Medical Center / 2,198 / Better than national average
Sutter Medical Center Sacramento / 8,514 / Better than national average
California Pacific Medical Center / 8,688 / Better than national average
Alta Bates Summit Medical Center / 12,642 / Better than national average
Sutter Amador Hospital / 573 / Better than national average
Sutter Solano Medical Center / 1,509 / Below the national average
Sutter Delta Medical Center / 1,866 / Below the national average
Sutter Tracy Community Hospital / 1,028 / Below the national average
Sutter Health System / 61,979 / 18 of 21 hospitals better than national average
SUTTER HEALTH’S QUALITY COMMITMENT
As part of Sutter’s commitment to continually improve the care provided to patients, the network’s doctors and hospitals routinely participate in quality studies. Sutter Health was also one of the first health systems in California to make vital quality data available online at http://www.sutterhealth.org/quality/reports/
Last year, the Sutter Health network was ranked number-one in California for health care quality by the respected Lewin Group, and the Integrated Healthcare Association named five medical groups within the Sutter Medical Network as top performers in health care quality.
Additionally, all Sutter Health-affiliated hospitals report quality performance data to a number of organizations including:
California Hospital Assessment Reporting Task Force (CHART)
http://www.chcf.org/topics/hospitals/index.cfm?itemID=111065
The Joint Commission
http://www.qualitycheck.org/consumer/searchQCR.aspx
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/
QualityNet
http://www.qualitynet.org/
National Healthcare Safety Network
http://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/
California Department of Public Health (CDPH)
http://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/Default.aspx
Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD)
http://www.oshpd.ca.gov/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
http://www.cdc.gov/
LINKS
See how Sutter Health is improving quality and safety for patients | http://www.sutterhealth.org/quality
See how Sutter Health measures up in quality | http://www.sutterhealth.org/quality/reports/
Independent Quality Reports | http://www.sutterhealth.org/quality/reports/thirdparty.html
Hear our patients talk about Sutter Health’s quality | http://www.sutterhealth.org/stories/
Watch us on YouTube | www.youtube.com/sutterhealth
Find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SutterHealth
About Sutter Health
Serving patients and their families in more than 100 Northern California cities and towns, Sutter Health doctors, not-for-profit hospitals and other health care service providers share resources and expertise to advance health care quality and access. The Sutter Medical Network includes many of California’s top-performing, highest quality physician organizations as measured annually by the Integrated Healthcare Association. Sutter-affiliated hospitals are regional leaders in cardiac care, women’s and children’s services, cancer care, orthopedics and advanced patient safety technology.
For more information about the not-for-profit Sutter Health network, please visit
www.SutterHealth.org | www.Facebook.com/SutterHealth | www.YouTube.com/SutterHealth
