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Teamwork And Analysis Lead Stamford Hospital To Major Award

STAMFORD, Conn. -- Stamford Hospital earned “Top Performer” honors from the Joint Commission last month in recognition of its excellence on key quality measures. How the hospital achieved the honor, however, is a blend of technology, personal attention and good old-fashioned teamwork.

Dr. Rohit Bhalla said a combination of technology, teamwork and training helped Stamford Hospital earn a "Top Performer" award from the Joint Commission.

Dr. Rohit Bhalla said a combination of technology, teamwork and training helped Stamford Hospital earn a "Top Performer" award from the Joint Commission.

Photo Credit: Contributed

Stamford Hospital was one of only six hospitals in Connecticut to earn the recognition from the Joint Commission. In the United States, only 19 percent were recognized for achieving excellence in four or more areas. Stamford Hospital was recognized for attaining and sustaining excellence across a number of medical and surgical care measures, specifically in heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care.

Rohit Bhalla, MD, MPH, Vice President of Quality and Chief Quality Officer, said the Stamford team continually analyzes data to ensure safety and quality of care. In fact, Stamford Hospital was the only Fairfield County hospital to be named a Top Performer by the Joint Commission.

“In reality, the practice of healthcare has many variables,’’ Dr. Bhalla said. “Standardizing certain things can be challenging because it’s so complex. As clinicians, it is in our training and ethic to provide the best care possible for every patient, every time. So we’re looking at each cog in the engine and looking at every detail.”

Much like Major League Baseball organizations that have turned to analyzing data to determine strengths and weaknesses, Stamford Hospital has many dashboards and unit reports available to allow continuous evaluation that allow quick recommendations for changing or enhancing practices based on the findings.

"We look collaboratively, we train together and we improve together," Dr. Bhalla said. "At the end of the day, it all adds up to a culture. We value what people have to say. It’s beneficial to have a grass roots approach where everyone’s input is valued.”

“The best defense is a good offense,’’ Dr. Bhalla continued. “Rather than responding to each measure that is externally mandated, it’s important to have an internal system. We have a dedicated work group that meets each month to look at the numbers and see how we’re doing. We don’t wait for the Joint Commission report. For some of them we go much further and track things much more frequently, sometimes on a day-to-day basis.”

Complete analysis and tracking of data is just one step that distinguishes Stamford Hospital from competitors. Another major component to the hospital’s success is its dedicated team, which collaborates to determine best practices.

“We have work groups that meet on a regular basis that will look at specific areas,’’ Dr. Bhalla added. “For instance, for infection prevention, we meet with a number of experts: surgeons, infectious disease specialists, nurses in infectious disease, environmental services. We’ll look at any infections that may have occurred, talk about them and see if there were opportunities to do some things differently.”

The Joint Commission’s Top Performer program recognizes hospitals for improving performance on evidence-based interventions that increase the chances for healthy outcomes for patients with certain conditions, such as heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgical care, stroke and more.

To achieve the Top Performer designation, Stamford Hospital scored 95 percent or higher on 20 individual measures across four areas of care. “It’s similar to getting a grade of A+ -- twenty times,’’ Dr. Bhalla said.

This article is part of a paid Content Partnership with the advertiser, Stamford Hospital. Daily Voice has no involvement in the writing of the article and the statements and opinions contained in it are solely those of the advertiser.

To learn more about Content Partnerships, click here.

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