From left: Sandra Myerson, MBA, MS, BSN, RN; Judy Miranda, DNP(C), RN, Chief Nursing Officer, Mount Sinai Roosevelt; Evan L. Flatow, MD; Tracy Breen, MD; Eva Johansson, Vice President, Quality Initiatives, Mount Sinai Roosevelt; Jeremy Boal, MD; and Marc Napp, MD, Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs and Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Mount Sinai Health System.
Mount Sinai Roosevelt recently attracted a standing-room-only crowd to its first Safety Summit, setting the tone for a culture of safety throughout the Mount Sinai Health System.
“The most important goal is patient and staff safety, and it is amazing to see the energy and commitment by so many of our faculty and staff,” Mount Sinai Roosevelt President Evan L. Flatow, MD, told the attendees, comprised of clinical and nonclinical staff. Dr. Flatow said that “a single staff member can be a powerful advocate for patient safety,” but developing a culture of safety requires teamwork.
During the event, Safety Champion Awards were presented to 21 nurses, physicians, support staff, and technicians who were recognized for their commitment to a variety of initiatives focused on medication and surgery, reducing patient falls and sepsis, and staff safety.
Saluting Safety Champions – During the Safety Summit, 21 nurses, physicians, support staff, and technicians were recognized with Safety Champion Awards. Among them was John Benson, RN, who received two awards. Celebrating with Mr. Benson is Judy Miranda, DNP(C), RN
Tracy Breen, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Mount Sinai Roosevelt, told the audience: “This is a wonderful opportunity to see how hospital staff from different departments are striving to continually improve the safe delivery of care to our patients. Hearing what our safety champions accomplished is a very powerful experience.”
These achievements were spotlighted in presentations by hospital leaders:
- Irina Usherenko, PharmD, Director of Pharmacy, Mount Sinai Roosevelt, highlighted the activities of 13 system-wide Pharmacy Quality Leadership Council groups working to ensure that insulin, chemotherapy drugs, opioids, and pediatric medications continue to be safely dispensed. She also discussed how her department counsels patients on high-risk medications, including opioids, anticoagulants, and antibiotics.
- Wendy O’Brien, Director of Patient Care Services, Mount Sinai Roosevelt, discussed how the hospital has adopted best-practice models for patient falls, with the goal of reducing the 2015 rate of falls by 39 percent. Ms. O’Brien also discussed how the Fall Reduction Program evaluates and identifies opportunities for improvement by focusing on organizational culture, staff buy-in, interprofessional collaboration, and individual accountability.
- Karen McKenna, MS, RN, Clinical Quality Nurse Coordinator, Mount Sinai Roosevelt and Mount Sinai St. Luke’s, explained the importance of early identification and management of patients with sepsis, a clinical syndrome that complicates infections and can result in patient death. New York State requires that all hospitals have protocols in place to identify and manage sepsis patients. Mount Sinai Roosevelt has outstanding rankings among New York State hospitals for adherence to Timely Antibiotic Administration, Blood Cultures Prior to Antibiotics, Lactic Acid Level Obtained, and Crystalloid Administration. “When we identify sepsis early and manage it appropriately, we prevent patients progressing from sepsis to septic shock, and save lives,” said Ms. McKenna.
- Leah Borenstein, RN, MPA, Director of Perioperative Services at Mount Sinai Roosevelt and Mount Sinai St. Luke’s, described how the hospitals have created a comprehensive educational and quality improvement process to ensure the safety of surgical procedures. “Operating room observations were monitored so that immediate teaching moments could take place, if necessary. Team building among all staff has been enhanced, ensuring the continuous delivery of safe, quality, patient-focused care during surgery,” she said.
Dr. Breen concluded the Safety Summit with a discussion on employee/staff safety initiatives, pointing out that both hospitals have employee accident rates that are well below the national average.
Safety Summit attendees included Jeremy Boal, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Mount Sinai Health System; and Sandra Myerson, MBA, MS, BSN, RN, Senior Vice President, Chief Patient Experience Officer, The Joseph F. Cullman, Jr. Institute for Patient Experience.
“We are constantly designing better processes and programs to make our Health System safer,” said Dr. Boal. “Ultimately, it comes down to building a culture of safety—where each and every one of us makes it our personal and professional mission.”
Ms. Myerson added, “Only when we consistently provide safe care will we be able to also provide an exceptional patient experience.”