Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Tops in Quality Care

Small but mighty describes Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center, a 25-bed critical access hospital in Chanute, Kan. The medical center serves a predominately low-income, rural population from its location 100 miles south of Topeka. NMRMC ranks in the top 10% of hospitals nationwide on four HCAHPS domains and in the top 25% for all other domains. Since 2011, CLABSI infection rates for the medical center?s ICUs and medical-surgical units are 0. To build a culture of safety, managers round with staff monthly, and staff round with patients hourly. To further enhance communication, NMRMC has quarterly all-nursing quality meetings, a ?chasing zero? council, bedside safety/shift report, and whiteboards in patient rooms. Nurses also use the teach-back patient education technique. Staff focus daily on providing IDEAL care?that is, ?exactly what is needed, customized, immediate and without waste.? NMRMC participates in On the CUSP: Stop BSI, HCAHPS Patient Safety Learning Network , and the Hospital Engagement Network, projects that receive implementation support from HRET, an AHA affiliate. For more information, contact Jennifer Newton, CNO, at jennifer_newton@nmrmc.com, Tiffany Miller, performance improvement coordinator, at tiffany_miller@nmrmc.com or Dennis Franks, CEO, at dennis_franks@nmrmc.com.