Ochsner Health is a system that delivers health to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate.
NEW ORLEANS –Ochsner Hospital for Children was honored with the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) Pediatric Quality Award at the 2018 Quality & Safety in Children’s Health Conference. The only hospital in Louisiana to be recognized by (CHA), Ochsner Hospital for Children was honored in the category of Patient Safety and Reduction of Harm as the top example based on 110 submissions from 60 children’s hospitals across the country. The Pediatric Quality Awards (PQA) honor and share best practices for pediatric improvement initiatives that can be replicated to achieve positive results in children’s hospitals.
Every two years, CHA member hospitals submit their improvement projects that have made a big impact in patient safety, financial performance and hospital culture. An expert panel of peers and international health care experts select the winners. This program brings attention to the remarkable efforts that are changing the way hospitals work and how care is delivered to pediatric patients and their families.
Ochsner Hospital for Children was honored for their extraordinary efforts to promote safe patient care in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. The project showcased the team’s efforts to reduce unplanned extubation, a serious adverse event which has the potential to cause severe complications and increase the length of time a child has to stay in the hospital. Over a three-year period the team adjusted training and protocols to incorporate the latest science available, and developed innovative techniques to prevent this problem from occurring. At the conclusion of the three-year period, outcomes were greatly improved. Patients and the hospital experienced significant savings and children spent 43 fewer days in the hospital.
“The dedication of our talented physicians, nurses and respiratory staff is demonstrated in the work they do every day in our hospital,” said Thomas Harris, Jr., Vice President of Pediatrics, Ochsner Health System. “Our team is relentless in its efforts to provide exceptional healthcare to our patients and to consistently improve our protocols and outcomes. We’re so proud to be recognized nationally by our peers and look forward to continuing our work as a healthcare leader and innovator in the Gulf South and beyond.”
Ochsner Hospital for Children has offered exceptional pediatric care for over 75 years. One of the top 50 programs in the country for Pediatric Cardiology and Heart Surgery by U.S. News & World Report, Ochsner Hospital for Children includes more than 120 pediatric physicians and offers advanced specialty care in 30 pediatric specialties and sub-specialties. Ochsner Hospital for Children also supports families through its Child Life department, which helps families and children manage and understand their healthcare experience through education, procedural preparation, medical play and other therapeutic activities.
For more information about Ochsner Hospital for Children or appointments, please visit https://www.ochsner.org/servic.... For information about the PQA awards, please visit www.childrenshospitals.org/award.
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Ochsner Health is Louisiana’s largest non-profit, academic, healthcare system. Driven by a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate, coordinated clinical and hospital patient care is provided across the region by Ochsner's 30 owned, managed and affiliated hospitals and more than 80 health centers and urgent care centers. Ochsner is the only Louisiana hospital recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a “Best Hospital” across four specialty categories caring for patients from all 50 states and more than 60 countries worldwide each year. Ochsner employs more than 18,000 employees and over 1,200 physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties, and conducts more than 700 clinical research studies. Ochsner Health is proud to be a tobacco-free environment. For more information, please visit ochsner.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.