On Tuesday, June 20th, the District of Columbia Hospital Association held its inaugural Patient Safety Summit, Back to Basics: Creating a Community Culture of Safety at the Milken Institute School of Public Health on the campus of The George Washington University.  The event was an overwhelming success.  With over 150 registrants and a robust and content rich agenda, attendees were provided the opportunity to collaborate, share best practices, and network, highlighting their continued commitment to providing safe and high quality patient care here in the District.

Auditorium

“The DCHA’s inaugural Patient Safety Summit was a spectacular success and I was extremely pleased to see so many healthcare leaders joining forces to focus on patient safety and learn from one another how best to do address this critical issue.  This meeting laid the foundation for continued collaboration amongst the hospitals to improve healthcare in our great city. For me, one of the highlights of the summit was identifying and agreeing on the need for – and commitment to – data transparency. This transparency will mobilize us and help us reach our goal of making the District’s hospitals among the safest in the nation. As I look to the future, I eagerly welcome our new collaboration with the D.C. Health Department, we all share the same vision for the citizens of the District and are now on the road to turning that vision into reality.” Chip Davis, PhD, President & CEO, Sibley Memorial Hospital – Johns Hopkins Medicine; Chair, DCHA Board of Directors

During the program, DCHA presented Kathleen Chavanu Gorman, MSN, RN, FAAN, the Chief Operating Officer at Children’s National Health System, with the 2017 American Hospital Association Grassroots Advocacy Award for her dedication and commitment to the mission of hospitals on both the local and the national level.

Kathy Gorman Award Picture

Throughout the day, participants heard from national leaders, local officials, and hospital experts – including the majority of the District of Columbia hospital’s CEOs, who participated in a session entitled, “CEOs: Paving the Way for a Patient Safety Culture.”  The session featured two panels that focused on the topics of Leadership and Collaboration.

Leadership Panel CEO Panel on Collaboration from left: Mark Chastang, CEO, Saint Elizabeths Hospital; Jim Linhares, CEO, BridgePoint Hospital Capitol Hill; Darcy Burthay, MSN, RN, President & CEO, Providence Health System – Ascension Health; Kurt Newman, MD, President & CEO, Children’s National Health System; Jim Diegel, CEO, Howard University Hospital

Leadership Panel CEO Panel on Leadership from left: John Rockwood, President, MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital; Kimberly Russo, CEO, The George Washington University Hospital; Richard “Chip” David, PhD, Sibley Memorial Hospital – Johns Hopkins Medicine

“I was honored to serve on the CEO Leadership panel at DCHA’s first Patient Safety Summit which provided a valuable opportunity for healthcare leaders to collaborate on best practices in quality and safety,” said Kimberly Russo, Chief Executive Officer at The George Washington University Hospital. “Individuals across the DC region should have access to high-quality, safe healthcare no matter where they choose to receive it. By increasing transparency across organizations, we are able to work together to not only promote safety but ensure consistent, excellent medical care in the District of Columbia.”

A special thanks to those who presented at the Patient Safety Summit, including Dr. David Henderson of the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center who presented on “The Changing Landscape of Patient Safety,” Charisse Coulombe, MS, MBA, CPHQ of the Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET) at the American Hospital Association who spoke on “The Path Forward for Patient Safety,” and Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, MPH, the Director of the D.C. Department of Health, who spoke about, “The Intersection of Health Equity & Patient Safety and Quality.”

J. Bowens DCHA Patient Safety Summit

“While this event is just a first step in our collective quality journey, it was an impactful one. DCHA looks forward to continuing our work with our hospitals and their teams as we further our commitment to putting safe, high quality patient care first in the District of Columbia.” – Jacqueline D. Bowens, President & CEO, District of Columbia Hospital Association

The association already has plans underway for the next Patient Safety Summit, which they hope will take place in the early winter of 2018.

This live event was designated by The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences for a maximum of 5 AMA PRA Category 1 credits.  Those who attended the event have received an e-mail from GWU with information on how to claim those credits. 

DCHA would like to again express our gratitude for our Summit sponsors.  With almost unanimous sponsorship support from our member hospitals, their contributions and support provided the means for such a successful event.

 

 

Patient Safety Summit Sponsors:

Children’s National

L'hôpital universitaire George Washington

Santé MedStar

Providence Hospital

Hôpital Sibley Memorial

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#Safety
#Sibley
#Providence
#Summit
#Medstar
#Howard
#Childrens

Washington, DC – July 25, 2018 – Today, the District of Columbia Hospital Association (DCHA) released a statement on Providence Health System’s announcement regarding their pending service changes.

“Hospitals and health systems across the country have been adapting to the future delivery of health care and the District’s hospitals have not been immune from these changes,” said Jacqueline D. Bowens, President & CEO of the District of Columbia Hospital Association. “As the industry shifts toward a population health focus, health systems continue to identify ways to strengthen collaborations between acute care and community-based services, to meet people where they are and ultimately improve health outcomes”.

The Association is pleased that Providence, while making a transition out of acute care, remains fully dedicated to the residents of the District of Columbia. This new community-focused model represents a unique opportunity for Providence and the District’s community of hospitals to work in concert to transform health delivery —- keeping the patient at the center of everything we do.

DCHA will be working with all our members, including Providence, to engage key stakeholders both inside and outside the hospital industry to ensure that District residents continue to have access to high-quality health services ranging from acute care to primary care.

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This is to clarify a previous communication regarding Providence Hospital operations. Providence’s Emergency Care Center remains open, fully staffed, and available to serve the District of Columbia community, with the same range of services that we have always provided to support our emergency care patients, including an inpatient unit, lab, diagnostic imaging, respiratory care, discharge planning, and other ancillary services and support.

Following helpful discussions with elected officials, the Department of Health, the DC Hospital Association, and members of the community, Providence will continue to operate the emergency care center through April 30, 2019, as previously described.

Further, Providence will continue to maintain primary care services both on campus and at the Perry Clinic, outpatient behavioral health services, the Center for Infectious Disease, Carroll Manor, and services at the Police & Fire Clinic and Catholic University of America Student Health.

For patients seeking to get in touch with their physician, Providence has established a dedicated call center—202-854-7000—to direct patients in that regard. Call center hours will be 7:30 am – 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The District of Columbia Hospital Association (DCHA) has been awarded a grant to establish and implement an Emergency Department (ED) Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Induction program at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Howard University Hospital and United Medial Center to identify and provide access to immediate substance use treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). In 2017, DC experienced 279 deaths related to opioid overdose.

This induction program will ensure that persons with OUD have the opportunity to make the decision to accept treatment during their visit to the emergency room. Following the initial treatment received at the hospital, patients will be rapidly connected through a warm hand-off to community-based provider(s) for sustained treatment. The program will train all hospital ED staff in the screening, brief intervention, referral to treatment (SBIRT) approach and connect patients to peer recovery coaches while still at the hospital to provide support as they begin their treatment and recovery journey. Peer recovery coaches will also follow-up with patients after they leave the ED to verify if they were successfully connected to recovery support services.

“DCHA and our members are proud to be part of the solution to help individuals get the treatment they need at the right time and the right place. Evidence has shown that initiating early interventions, such as MAT to treat OUD, at the first point of care saves more lives. We are excited to work in collaboration with our member hospitals and the DC government to launch this most important program as a critical step in battling this terrible epidemic,” said Jacqueline D. Bowens, President and CEO of DCHA.

DCHA will partner with the Mosaic Group, which has more than six years of experience working with hospitals on this approach, and the McClendon Center, which has expertise in recruiting and screening applicants for peer recovery coaching positions, to successfully implement the ED MAT Induction program. Hospitals are currently in the planning stages, including setting timelines and engaging key stakeholders. Beginning this month, hospitals will be reviewing and adjusting clinical processes and workforce needs to prepare for safe MAT implementation.

“We are committed to improving the health of our community and turning the tide on the District’s burgeoning opioid epidemic,” said Jeffrey Dubin, MD, chief medical officer at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. “With the DCHA grant funding, these peer recovery coaches, based in our emergency department, will be instrumental in connecting patients with serious opioid issues to treatment and recovery.”

The ED MAT Induction program will be established through $668K of funding from the State Targeted Response grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). It will continue to be supported through $700k of funding from SAMHSA’s State Opioid Response grant provided to the DC Department of Behavioral Health.

“Partnering with DCHA on this effort strengthens our ability to reach residents with OUD to give them another opportunity to get connected to treatment,” said Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, Interim Director of the DC Department of Behavioral Health. “This is another example of our commitment to putting multiple measures in place to stem the tide of the opioid epidemic and save the lives of Washingtonians.”