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Quality & Safety

At Enloe Medical Center, we have a culture of safety. It is our mission to improve the quality of your life through patient-centered care. We value an unwavering focus on patient safety that fosters not only technical excellence, but compassionate and safe care for the whole patient that encompasses mind, body and spirit. We continuously look for ways to improve our care.

Quality initiatives

We participate in a number of quality assurance initiatives and publicly released surveys including:

  • Review by Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
  • Host an annual Quality Summit, where physicians and employees at Enloe access current quality initiatives and identify new initiatives. Read Enloe's news release about the success of patient quality and safety initiatives for 2009. See Enloe's 2010 Quality Summit Annual Report (Adobe PDF).
  • Submit quality data to and receive recognition for our Stroke and Bariatric Programs, as well as for our response to STEMI (ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction) heart attacks, a particular kind of attack, considered to be the most severe
  • Participate in a risk-adjusted database survey by the Society for Thoracic Surgeons
  • Participate in the CHART Quality Measurement Reporting program to develop a public report card on hospital quality measures
  • Adoption of the World Health Organization Surgical Checklist to promote patient safety during surgery. 
  • To enhance patient safety, Enloe has implemented a family-initiated family Rapid Response Team.
  • The California Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Mortality Reporting Program, a joint-effort survey of the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) and the Pacific Business Group on Health (PBGH)
  • The Enloe Heart Program joins most other major cardiac surgery programs in the nation in participating in a surgical outcomes database managed by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS). STS is widely regarded by clinicians as the most comprehensive and conclusive tool for comparing cardiac surgery results.
  • The Enloe Heart Program reports outcomes of cardiac artery bypass graft surgeries to CCORP (California CABG Outcomes Reporting Program) semi-annually, as is required by law in California.
  • Enloe Medical Center's Outpatient Diabetes Education program is recognized by the American Association of Diabetes Educators, which ensures that National Standards for Quality Self-Management Education are met.
  • The use of several quality watch committees, including:
    • Board of Trustees’ Committee on Quality
    • Infection Prevention & Control Committee
    • Performance Improvement & Patient Safety Plan (PIPS) Committee
    • Medication Management Committee
    • Antibiotic Stewardship Committee
    • Surgical Care Improvement Program

On an ongoing basis, we evaluate how our care and health outreach benefits the health of our community, and determine how to improve and extend the health services we offer. To learn more, read out our Community Benefit Plan.

Safety from infection

Infection is a concern at hospitals and in communities nationwide.

  • Nationwide, infections acquired in hospitals and the community alike are increasing and becoming more difficult to treat due to the overuse of antibiotics.
  • Organisms that cause infections occur everywhere, not only hospitals.
  • About 30 percent to 50 percent of healthy adults and children carry staph bacteria at various times without getting sick. Most of us begin to have staph bacteria growing harmlessly on our bodies before we are one week old.

Enloe's infection programs

Enloe has implemented rigorous infection control policies and procedures. These practices are guided by an infectious disease expert and supported by a team of specially trained nurses.

  • Enloe has been an active member of the Collaborative Alliance for Nursing Outcomes (CALNOC) since January 2004.  We regularly submit data to CALNOC.  The information we receive from CALNOC, including how we compare with other participating hospitals, can be used to guide decisions for providing and improving patient care.
  • Has adopted the best practices of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI's) "5 Million Lives Campaign” in several areas of hospital procedures.
  • Provides ongoing education of medical and nursing staffs regarding identification and treatment of specific types of infection.

 

Enloe will continue important precautions already in place, which include:

  • Participate in an infection-control project called California Healthcare-Associated Infection
    Prevention Initiative (CHAIPI) Phase II, one of only 14 hospitals in the state
  • Conduct electronic surveillance of infection through CareFusion
  • Conduct routine daily practices when working with patients and instruments
  • Placed conveniently located alcohol-based waterless hand-washing gel throughout our facilities
  • Management of diabetic and pre-diabetic blood sugar levels to promote better healing
  • Regularly vaccinate employees and doctors against influenza

Enloe Medical Center has been recognized for its high quality of patient care, specifically in the area of controlling hospital-acquired infections.

  • Nationally, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement cites surgical infection rates nationwide of 2.6 percent of nearly 30 million operations annually. Enloe’s rate of 0.94 percent in 2009 compares favorably to this national data.
  • Enloe has deployed new technology called CareFusion, which uses Data Mining Surveillance technology to identify where and when infections may originate early enough for hospital staff to change their practices to reduce unnecessary illness, length of stay, cost and most importantly, death.

At Enloe, we believe one infection is one too many.

While we have a good record overall on hospital-acquired infection, we continue to be vigilant in fighting infection. We constantly review and tighten our infection control policies and practices. And, like all hospitals, we are subject to regular and unannounced reviews by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and the California State Department of Health Services. At Enloe we will continue to strive for zero hospital-acquired infections at our hospital.

Patient involvement

Patient safety is our first priority here at Enloe. Everyone involved in patient care has a role to play in safety - including patients themselves. Research shows that patients who take part in their health care decisions have better outcomes. There are simple steps patients can take to become an informed member of their health care team.

Speak up: You have a right know about your health care and any inherent risk.

  • Bring written questions to your doctor appointments so you can get each one addressed.
  • Be honest and complete about your condition; withholding information can lead to unintended errors.
  • Speak up if you do not fully understand your doctor or nurse or if something seems wrong.
  • No news isn’t necessarily good news; ask when you will get test results.
  • Expect health care workers to introduce themselves and identify you.
  • Know which medication or treatment a nurse is giving. Is it yours?
  • Did the nurse check your ID band before giving it? They should every time. Speak up if they don’t. This can prevent errors.
  • We encourage you to ask if your caregiver has washed his or her hands. Handwashing is the single best way of preventing infection.

Educate yourself: Ask questions, seek out information, ask to speak with an infection control nurse. Enloe's community libraries are excellent and free resources to find reliable health and wellness information.

Ask for help: Safe patient care requires careful planning. The single most important way you can help prevent errors is to be an active member of your health care team.

  • Consider having a trusted friend or family member accompany you to medical appointments or the hospital. It can be difficult to understand complex health care explanations.
  • Review questions and concerns with your advocate and ask that he or she bring up anything you leave out or other questions that come up. No question is too silly when it comes to your health care.
  • Make sure your advocate knows your wishes about resuscitation and life support.

If you have concerns

It is the policy of Enloe Medical Center to provide a systematic approach to resolving conflicts that may arise concerning the care of a patient. Patients and/or designated representatives have the right to communicate complaints regarding the care received, to have those complaints investigated and when possible, resolved. Patient complaints in no way will affect future access to health care. Any patient and/or designated representative who presents a conflict in the care the patient is receiving shall be encouraged to address that issue with the direct patient care provider, the department manager or designee, an administrative representative, or the Patient Service Excellence Department. If the patient/designated representative wishes to file a formal complaint/grievance, he/she may contact the Patient Service Excellence Department at 530-332-7005. This line is accessible 24 hours a day. Complaints may also be filed with the California Department of Health Services' Licensing and Certification Program, 126 Mission Ranch Blvd., Chico, CA 95926 or by calling 1-800-554 0350. Any concerns about patient care and safety in the hospital that the hospital has not addressed may be sent to The Joint Commission by calling 1-800-994-6610 or e-mailing complaint@jointcommission.org.

Additional patient resources