| BMC Rated #1 in Nation for Patient Safety |
| February 27, 2017 For Immediate Release Berkshire Medical Center Sits Atop National Quality Ranking: CMS Data Shows BMC #1 in US for Patient Safety PITTSFIELD, MA – Berkshire Medical Center is ranked as the best performer in Patient Safety Indicators in the US, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). BMC is ranked #1 in the nation when compared to over 3,200 hospitals for its composite measure of Patient Safety Indicators, or PSI-90. The PSI-90 Patient Safety Indicators were developed by the Agency for Research and Quality, and provides an overview of hospital-level quality as it relates to a set of potentially preventable hospital-related events associated with harmful outcomes for patients. The lower a hospital’s composite score, the better, and Berkshire Medical Center has attained the lowest score in the nation for data analyzing the period between July 2013 and June of 2015, the most current data available. “Several years ago, led by direction from the Berkshire Health Systems Board of Trustees and our senior leadership team, we implemented an ongoing quality performance improvement program designed to elevate Berkshire Medical Center to among the safest hospitals in the country,” said David Phelps, President and CEO of Berkshire Health Systems. “This objective, publicly available data, validates the success of our physicians, nurses and all staff in providing our patients and our community with the highest standard of care. All who work at BMC should be proud of this remarkable achievement.” “Attaining this level of excellence is a testament to the dedication of our entire staff, working as a team, to provide the best clinical care in the safest environment,” said Diane Kelly, RN, BMC Chief Operating Officer. “Our community expects and deserves nothing less.” The Patient Safety Indicators that are included in the PSI-90 are rates for: pressure ulcer, iatrogenic Pneumothorax, central venous catheter-related blood stream infection, postoperative hip fracture, perioperative hemorrhage or hematoma, postoperative physiologic and metabolic derangement, perioperative pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis, postoperative sepsis, postoperative wound dehiscence, and accidental puncture of laceration. “Berkshire Medical Center’s commitment is to ensure that our quality is at the highest level, for every patient, every encounter, every day,” said Gray Ellrodt, MD, BMC Chief Quality Officer and Chairman, Department of Medicine. “This is ingrained in everything we do and at every level of the organization.” |
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