PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania Hospital (PAH) of Penn Medicine was named a winner of The Hospital and Health System Association of Pennsylvania’s (HAP) 2013 Achievement Award.
PAH was one of 19 hospitals recognized for innovative programs addressing critical and timely issues concerning: patient satisfaction, workforce issues, public health and education, influenza, falls, infection prevention, mortality reduction, oxygen therapy, and disaster preparedness. Chosen from 131 hospital programs submitted from across the state, entries were evaluated by a 15-judge panel representing the public and private sectors and included leadership from the National Patient Safety Foundation, The Joint Commission, and The Patient Safety Authority.
On November 4th, HAP President Andy Carter visited PAH to personally present the award to Maria Vacca, RN, BSN, PCCN, CIC, Diane Angelos, RN, MSN, and fellow winning team members for their Patient Safety entry, Prevention of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection in a Neurological ICU Using a Proactive Approach to the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Bundle.
“This award recognition confirms the commitment of our staff to quality and continuous improvement in the delivery of health care,” said Daniel M. Feinberg, MD, FAAN, chief medical officer of PAH. “It is a tremendous honor for Maria and Diane and the whole team. What they accomplished with this initiative is truly impressive.”
“Our initiative began over a year ago when it was identified that the Neurological Intensive Care Unit (NICU) had a significant increase in their Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI),” said Vacca. “Our idea was to stop reacting to infections after they occurred by taking a proactive approach to CAUTI prevention.”
In July of 2012, Vacca and her team began implementing weekly rounds on each patient in the NICU. They assessed specific criteria established by the Centers for Disease Control to prevent CAUTI. They then developed and refined a rounding tool for data collection and analysis to assist with weekly rounds. Findings were communicated via email to the health care team in real time and unit nurses were also educated in real time as issues were identified and resolved. The team utilized the rounding tool as a guide to assess patients, educate their peers, and collaborate with physicians and advanced practice providers to expedite the catheter removal process.
Over a nine month period from when the initiative began, the NICU went from an average CAUTI rate of nine percent per 1000 patient days – to zero – with an estimated direct cost savings of $40,000. The process, which has been successfully adopted by other clinical units at PAH, continues to evolve as the staff becomes more engaged in maintaining patient safety by preventing CAUTIs.
“We look forward to continue seeing positive results in our NICU and all Critical Care Units of the hospital where the rounding process has been adopted,” said Vacca. “We are extremely gratified by the results of our initiative and the positive impact it has had on patient care at Pennsylvania Hospital and we’re honored to be recognized by the Hospital Association of Pennsylvania.”
Additional team members involved in the award winning initiative are: Christopher Huot, BSN, RN, nurse manager, Critical Care; Paul Kinniry, MD, medical director, Medical Intensive Care Unit; Danielle C. Reynolds, MSN, RN, CPHQ, CNOR, Quality and Performance Improvement coordinator; Debra Runyan, BS, MT (ASCP), CIC, Director Infection Prevention; and the registered nurses of the PAH Neurological Intensive Care Unit.
HAP’s Achievement Awards program began in 1978 as a way to recognize the innovation of Pennsylvania's health care organizations. Details about the award winning programs are available online at http://www.haponline.org/awards/.
Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.
The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
Penn Medicine is an $11.1 billion enterprise powered by more than 49,000 talented faculty and staff.