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Building a Culture and Practice of Patient Safety That Lasts

By Dr. Bradley Lembcke, Chief Medical Officer, St. Luke’s Health

July 05, 2023 Posted in: Leadership
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Our goal is to have a robust reporting system that celebrates near misses. The St. Luke’s Health Good Catch program is working because we’re finding that people are now reporting concerns early on, which gives us opportunities to determine the root causes of issues and fix them as quickly as possible.

Everyone who works at St. Luke’s Health goes through high-reliability training. We believe each person, no matter their job title, is an equal player on the health care team. 

Improving Patient Outcomes

Since implementing the four-tiered quality control system, mock surveys and Good Catch program, St. Luke’s Health is improving patient outcomes and safety throughout the health system. We see:

  • A lower number of hospital readmissions

  • Decreased hospital-acquired medical conditions

  • Fewer surgical complications

  • Improved Society of Thoracic Surgeons scores for heart valve replacement

  • Tremendous growth and success in organ transplant programs


Improvements in our quality control initiatives have also allowed St. Luke’s Health to be more accountable, transparent and responsive to unexpected issues, big and small. For example, during the beginning and height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the four-tiered quality control system helped our teams efficiently communicate and adapt in response to rapidly shifting needs and information while effectively maintaining high patient safety standards.

Our improved Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) star rating, Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade and U.S. News & World Report rankings reflect the high-quality services and dedication to patient safety we see in our hospitals and clinics on a daily basis.

Patient Safety for Your Family and Ours

A commitment to patient safety and high-quality care affects everyone in the community. St. Luke’s Health team members are more than patient care experts, they are patients themselves. Our team members and their families receive care at St. Luke’s Health, as well, from routine health care services to complex medical issues. Whether treating your family member or ours, we are dedicated to continually improving patient safety in all aspects of care—because it’s the right thing to do.

 

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