Governor Crist Signs Proclamation
ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- National Healthcare Quality
Week, October 18-24th, celebrates the work of Healthcare Quality Professionals
in achieving improved patient care outcomes and healthcare delivery systems.
Healthcare Quality Professionals are driven by the desire to make a positive
difference in the lives of their patients, organizations and communities. They
lead improvement changes not only through content expertise, but through role
modeling, educating, coaching and empowering others.
In honor of their achievements, Florida Governor Charlie Crist has issued a
Proclamation recognizing the outstanding work Healthcare Quality Professionals
do for the people of Florida. Some of the healthcare quality initiatives
ongoing in Florida include:
-- initiating a biometric patient identification system, allowing real
time
and historic patient medical information to be accessed by any
authorized clinician caring for that patient, reducing the potential
for
medical errors and duplication of services while improving timeliness
of
care - BayCare Health System
-- conducting training programs on road crossing safety in elementary
schools to reduce pediatric traffic injuries and fatalities - Trauma
One, Shands Jacksonville.
-- initiating multifaceted operational changes to reduce emergency room
wait times to below the national average to ensure emergency services
are provided in a timely manner, reducing complications and saving
lives
- HCA, Inc.
-- providing free support groups to families of deployed or injured
veterans and for those who have lost a loved one to war to provide
psychological and spiritual support.- TideWell Hospice and Palliative
Care
-- creating a multidisciplinary program which includes bundling of
services, use monitoring, and education, with an 18 month goal of
eliminating the five primary healthcare-acquired infections - Mayo
Clinic Florida
-- promoting transparency in healthcare outcomes to aid consumer choices
via public reporting of provider and facility performance in key areas
-
State of Florida Agency for Health Care Administration
-- creating a Patient Advocate position in the Quality Department in all
of
its hospitals to ensure patient concerns are heard and addressed
promptly - HMA, Inc.
-- implementing new treatment approaches which significantly reduced
average length of stay for civil psychiatric patients while
maintaining
low recidivism rates - GEO Care, Inc.
-- use of home telehealth technologies for real-time monitoring of
patients
with chronic diseases to reduce complications and hospitalizations -
Department of Veterans Affairs
-- improving patient safety through special training of 1000 staff
members
to serve as Patient Safety Champions - Baptist Health South Florida
These are a few of the many quality initiatives currently in place to improve
health and healthcare quality for the people of Florida. Notes Sam Elizondo,
President of the Florida Association for Healthcare Quality (FAHQ): "FAHQ
joins Governor Crist in praising the champions of quality who work tirelessly
to improve healthcare for all the people of Florida!"
About FAHQ
FAHQ is committed to developing, supporting and promoting professional
expertise in healthcare quality. Its membership represents quality
professionals from across the healthcare spectrum, united in the common goal
of advancing Florida's healthcare quality. Visit our website, www.fahq.org,
for further information.
SOURCE Florida Association for Healthcare Quality
Sam Elizondo, President of the Florida Association for Healthcare Quality,
+1-813-391-4669, sam_stpa@hotmail.com
