PCH recognized nationally for patient safety and quality efforts

Annette Handy discusses Putnam County Hospital safety and quality efforts with conference keynote speaker Dr. Bob Wachter, professor and associate chairman of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

In 2011, Putnam County Hospital (PCH) made a firm commitment to the national Partnership for Patients initiative, a public-private partnership working to improve the quality, safety and affordability of health care for all Americans.

And over the two years, PCH has maintained its commitment and expanded its efforts to seek opportunities for reducing harm and improving outcomes in all of the local hospital's patients.

Many Putnam County Hospital team members have been involved in the efforts to reduce harm and each has brought unique and high levels of expertise, officials stress. While the staff knows there continue to be many opportunities to impact positive patient outcomes, there have been notable gains through strong multidisciplinary efforts.

As a member of the Indiana Hospital Association's Hospital Engagement Network, PCH has critically collected data and reported its efforts and progress.

Putnam County Hospital submitted its reducing "Harm Across the Board" story to the American Hospital Association/ Healthcare Research and Trust collaborative for its consideration. And on June 13, PCH received the news that it had been chosen to be featured at the national level.

Putnam County Hospital was one of just 30 organizations chosen from 130 submissions in 20 states and one of only two Indiana organizations selected by the American Hospital Association (AHA).



At the July 24-27 AHA Leadership Summit and Quality and Safety Roadmap meetings in San Diego, PCH director of Nursing Joni Perkins, PCH pharmacist Mary Beth Kaiser and PCH quality coordinator Annette Handy, presented the Putnam County Hospital story.

Additionally, Handy represented PCH as only one of three organizations chosen from across the nation to participate in a panel discussion addressing successes and challenges in leading change.

Attending the Indiana contingent at AHA Leadership Summit in San Diego were (front, from left) Betsy Lee, director, Indiana Patient Safety Center; Annette Handy, Putnam County Hospital quality coordinator; Linda Webb, chief nursing officer, Pulaski Memorial Hospital, and Joni Perkins, PCH director of nursing. In back (from left) are Karin Kennedy, Indiana Hospital Association patient safety/quality adviser; Mary Beth Kaiser, PCH pharmacist; and Paige Langel, Indiana Hospital Association patient safety analyst/coordinator.

The panel was moderated by Joe McCannon, former senior adviser to the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Putnam County Hospital's mission and commitment is to continually seek opportunities to elevate the quality of care and experience provided to our community.


"The Indiana Hospital Association applauds Putnam County Hospital's commitment to diligently creating a culture that aims to reduce harm across the board," Betsy Lee, director of the Indiana Patient Safety Center and co-director for Coalition for Care, praised. "Hospital leaders who commit to sharing results have the ability to inspire action within communities and hospitals. By providing guidance on how to establish and replicate harm-reduction initiatives, hospital leaders create compelling stories that engage others to similar action."