Patient Safety: An Ongoing Priority
“We are constantly striving to improve safety for our patients, visitors and staff,” says Norma Ferdinand, RN, Senior Vice President, Patient Care Services.
Recently Lancaster General Hospital was recognized with a 2005 Distinguished Hospital Award for Patient Safety™, which places us in the top 3% in the nation for patient safety. The award was presented by HealthGrades, an independent healthcare quality research company. HealthGrades objectively rates the performance of hospitals throughout the country. This is the second year HealthGrades presented the award. Lancaster General Hospital is one of only 46 hospitals in the country to have received this award both years.
“In making their determination, HealthGrades evaluated our hospital’s performance based on 13 patient safety indicators,” Norma explains. These indicators are established by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
Patient safety initiatives implemented at Lancaster General Hospital include barcoding for medication administration, a falls prevention program and the marking of physical sites prior to surgery. Our Web site,
www.LancasterGeneral.org, features additional information about patient safety.