Press Release - District Hospitals and Delmarva Foundation Work to Promote Safer Surgery

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For Further Information Contact:
Desiree M. Voinche
Manager, Communications and Outreach
voinched@dfmc.org
410-872-9624

District Hospitals and Delmarva Foundation
Work to Promote Safer Surgery

Washington, D.C., November 7, 2006 - The national Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) recently announced efforts to increase consumer engagement in its campaign to improve the quality of surgical care received by patients. This consumer campaign is a new element of the SCIP Partnership’s ongoing work with hospitals and other healthcare providers aimed at making surgery safer across the country. Delmarva Foundation, Medicare’s Quality Improvement Organization in the District of Columbia, is providing key support and resources to this effort to help ensure that surgical care in the District is improving.

Over 40 million operations are performed in the United States each year, with many of them complicated by infection, blood clots, heart problems, and other adverse events. These complications take a toll not only on the patients, but also on the overall cost of healthcare in the District and across the country. Because many of these complications are preventable, the 2010 goal of the SCIP partnership is to use evidence-based practices and reduce preventable surgical complications nationwide by 25 percent.

“Hospitals participating in SCIP are now taking steps to include in improving the care patients receive,” said Christian Jensen, MD, CEO, Delmarva Foundation. “This unique approach can make a profound difference in the quality of surgery for District patients.”

SCIP is one of the first national quality improvement initiatives to unite hospitals, physician and nursing organizations, the federal government, the organization that accredits hospitals, private sector experts, and consumer advocacy groups in far-reaching surgical quality improvement efforts. In addition to participating in SCIP, District hospitals are working with Delmarva Foundation on the 100k Lives and Beyond Collaborative. The 100k Lives and Beyond Collaborative builds on the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's 100,000 Lives Campaign efforts to improve the effectiveness and safety of healthcare. The Collaborative provides a venue for participating facilities from Maryland and the District of Columbia to share information and make improvements in several areas, including surgical site infections. CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield provides funding support to the 100k Lives and Beyond Collaborative while the Metropolitan Washington D.C. Chapter of the American College of Surgeons has also endorsed the initiative.

The SCIP partnership has developed a resource designed to encourage consumers to be more involved in their healthcare. The tip sheet, “Steps to Safer Surgery,” provides specific questions patients can ask their physicians and nurses before surgery to ensure they are receiving care that will reduce their risk of having complications. The tip sheet is available at www.delmarvafoundation.org along with other information about SCIP. Patients can contact Delmarva Foundation with questions about how to use the tip sheet to ensure they are receiving appropriate surgical care. For more information, please visit www.delmarvafoundation.org.

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About the National SCIP Partnership
The SCIP Partnership includes the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the American College of Surgeons, the American Hospital Association, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, and the Veterans Health Administration.

About Delmarva Foundation
Delmarva Foundation is a national, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving healthcare quality in over 20 states. Since 1973, Delmarva has assisted in improving care in hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies, medical practices and health plans. Delmarva performs quality improvement, quality assurance, utilization review, external quality review and Program Safeguard activities. The company's corporate headquarters are located in Easton, Maryland with other offices in Baltimore, Maryland; Washington, DC; Columbia, South Carolina; Tampa, Florida; and Tallahassee, Florida. For more information, please visit Delmarva Foundation on the web at www.delmarvafoundation.org.