Atlanta Medical Center Named to Safety Leaders Circle

Atlanta Medical Center has been named to the Georgia Hospital Association’s (GHA) Hospital Engagement Network (HEN) Safety Leaders Circle, which recognizes hospitals’ improvements in patient care for the second quarter of 2013. Atlanta Medical Center is one of 11 hospitals in Georgia to place in the Chairman’s Circle, one of the highest categories on the list.

Atlanta Medical Center is a participant in the GHA HEN, an initiative begun last year that is part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service’s (CMS) Partnership for Patients. GHA, through its Partnership for Health and Accountability (PHA), is one of 26 organizations nationally to be awarded federal funding to coordinate the implementation of a series of projects with hospitals. The goals of these projects are to reduce hospital-acquired conditions (HAC) by 40 percent and hospital readmissions by 20 percent by the end of 2013. According to data provided by GHA, Georgia hospitals have prevented almost 9,300 incidents of harm, resulting in savings ranging from $59 million to $63 million.

To achieve these goals, there are major directives from CMS regarding improved care in 10 focus areas: Four are related to hospital-acquired infections (HAI); four are related to HACs; one is related to obstetrics (OB) and trying to eliminate elective deliveries before 39 weeks; and one is related to transition of care and reduction of readmissions. As part of their participation in the GHA HEN, hospitals selected two of these areas on which to focus in 2012. Scores for the Safety Leaders Circle are based on several criteria, including a database that measures hospitals’ improvement in their respective selected areas.

“Thanks to the leadership and commitment of Atlanta Medical Center, we have made great progress in achieving the significant life-saving goals of this important initiative,” said Earl Rogers, president of GHA. “We are proud to recognize the hard work of Atlanta Medical Center staff and applaud their efforts and commitment to ensuring the reduction of infections and readmissions.”

Atlanta Medical Center President & CEO Bill Moore says, “Patient safety and quality of care are top priorities at our hospital. It takes all of our team working together toward the best interest of the patient to achieve these safety goals.”

About Atlanta Medical Center

Atlanta Medical Center is a 762-bed acute care hospital, with campuses in downtown Atlanta and East Point.  It is the second largest licensed-bed hospital in Georgia and a Level 1 Trauma Center. A teaching hospital, Atlanta Medical Center is widely recognized for its women’s services program, including water births, and for outstanding performance in the treatment of stroke patients. The hospital’s weight‐loss program is designated as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence. To learn more about Atlanta Medical Center, a facility accredited by The Joint Commission, visit atlantamedcenter.com.

About PHA

The Partnership for Health and Accountability, formed in January 2000 and sponsored by the Georgia Hospital Association, is a unique statewide collaborative that brings together health care providers with community agencies and individuals to achieve healthy communities. PHA includes representation from groups like hospitals, physicians, state health officials, legislators and businesses.