CityView Magazine

Special Promotional Section the joint commission recognition The most important honor Cape Fear Valley Health received last year may have come from The Joint Commis- sion. The national healthcare accrediting body ranked the health system as a Top Performer in six treatment categories: Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Pneumonia, Surgical Care, Stroke and Perinatal Care. Top Performer status means Cape Fear Valley provides the most up-to-date, sci- entific evidence-based care, as compared to anywhere else in the nation. The rec- ognition comes on the heels of The Joint Commission bestowing eight different Disease-Specific Care certifications upon the health system in recent years. Launched in 2002, the Disease-Specific Care certification program evaluates hospital clinical programs across the continuum of care, not just for one or two areas of a patient's stay. To date, Cape Fear Valley has received certifications for Hip Replacement Sur- gery, Knee Replacement Surgery, Heart Failure, Advanced Stroke, Acute Myo- cardial Infarction (AMI, or heart attack), Pneumonia, Wound Care and Sepsis. Bladen County Hospital also received Sepsis certification. It is the first critical access hospital in the nation to do so. All the certifications help rank Cape Fear Valley Health among the top 25 hospitals in the nation for patient care quality. The certifications didn't come by chance. Over the years, Cape Fear Valley has created various Centers of Excellence that focus on the very treatment areas for which it received certifications. One of the first was for the health system's award-winning hip and knee replace- ment surgery program. Bradley Broussard, M.D., is an orthope- dic surgeon and Cape Fear Valley's Chief of Staff. He says having nurses, physi- cians and physical therapy staff on the same page when treating patients helps ensure the best outcome. "Everyone strives for excellence here," Dr. Broussard said. "Not only in the area of patient care, but also in the results." Jose Delgado, M.D., Associate Medical Director at Highsmith-Rainey Specialty Hospital, agrees with the teamwork sentiment. He works with the hospital's wound care program and says the staff works closely together for a reason. Treating extensive or lingering wounds can be extremely complicated. Every- one from dietitians and pharmacists to physical therapists and pastoral care staff may be called upon. "These kinds of wounds are so complex they simply require a more intensive approach," Dr. Delgado said. Patients suffering from advanced diabe- tes, vascular disease or traumatic injuries can require months of treatment. Even more specialty care, such as wound vacuum or hyperbaric oxygen therapy, may be necessary if wounds are infected. heart attack care Cape Fear Valley Medical Center's Emergency Department is easily the busiest in the state and among the busiest in the nation. It is a center for heart attack patients in the region Cape Fear Valley has had a Chest Paint Center of Excellence for years. But it was originally accredited through the Society for Chest Pain Centers. Michael Hodges is the Director for Cardiac Quality and Chairman of the Clinical Performance Improvement Committee at Cape Fear Valley. He says the chest pain center designation was a way to show Cape Fear Valley could compete with any other hospital in the state when it came to cardiac care. Cape Fear Valley still maintains the Chest Pain Center accreditation. But the health system has also pursued Disease Specific Care certification for Heart Attack treatment through The Joint Commission, as an overall quality strategy. Maintaining both accreditations means extra work for an already busy cardiac care staff. But it's that commitment to continually pursue quality that defines what Cape Fear Valley Health is today. "We now have a culture of providing quality care," Dr. Hodges said. "We know we're doing good work. We've known that for years. Now we're just being recognized on a national level for our efforts." "Everyone strives for excellence here... Not only in the area of patient care, but also in the results." – bradley broussard, md

• Cover