Leaders at Henry Ford Health System and Memorial Hermann Healthcare System Awarded for Commitment to Creating Safer, More Transparent Environments fo...(rate of any large hospital in the state ...),Health

The Memorial Hermann Healthcare System is a 3,365 bed, 11-hospital network located in Houston, Texas.

• The Board of the health care system has committed the time and resources to allow all employees to take part in safety trainings. All employees - more than 14,000 to date - have participated in "Breakthroughs in Patient Safety" (BIPS) training that teaches new work habits that protect patients from harm. During the training employees learn how errors occur while performing skill, rule and knowledge activities in complex environments.
• The organization is learning from other high-risk industries. Employees learn about a process borrowed from the aviation industry that empowers them to ask critical questions that bring attention to a team member who is about to deviate from the standard of practice.
• The health system engages patients and families to play a role in their own safety. Patient rooms include a poster encouraging patients to do a number of simple things to improve safety including asking anyone who enters the room to wash their hands. The poster also includes a phone number they can dial to activate the Rapid Response team.
• The organization was one of the first in the country to use its website to display quality results as a way to provide transparency to patients. An internal website allows executives and employees to continuously track the system's goals and performance, which the Board reviews on a regular basis.
• The health system has experienced a reduction in adverse safety events, including hospital acquired infections as a result of documented adherence to scientifically proven actions. One Memorial Hermann facility has not had an occurrence of ventilator-associated pneumonia in 34 months.

About the VHA Foun
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