COLUMBIA, SC, March 9, 2021 / PRNewswire / – As state frontline health professionals continue to lead the response to COVID-19, Governor Henry McMaster is honoring South Carolina hospitals for serving as a national model for advancing quality and safety in patient care. In recognition of the work that hospitals and health systems in the state are doing to promote highly reliable care, March 2021 was named “Patient Safety Month with Zero Damage SC” in South Carolina.
In 2016, Johns Hopkins Medicine has released a study suggesting that medical errors are the third leading cause of death in America. And even before that, hospitals across the country were involved in patient safety programs to improve health outcomes.
Recognizing that eliminating preventable medical errors is critical to providing quality, highly reliable care, the South Carolina Hospital Association (SCHA) launched the Certified Zero Harm Awards in 2014 to recognize hospitals that prevent hospital-acquired illnesses and adverse events by a extended period.
SCHA’s Zero Harm program was inspired by the Memorial Hermann Health System in Texas after announcing a similar effort to recognize its health care facilities for taking a “Zero Damage” approach to patient care. The program was launched with support from The Duke Endowment, and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) has been an active partner in certifying clinical results. It is the only statewide health improvement network of its kind in the country and a testament to the commitment to South Carolina hospital community.
“When we launched SCHA’s Zero Harm program in 2014, we had no idea how quickly and widely our hospitals would adopt this initiative,” said SCHA President and CEO, Thornton Kirby. “We are now looking at an effort in which the vast majority of our members are implementing new approaches to high reliability, and I am proud to say that we have distributed 1,000 certified zero damage awards in the first seven years.”
In 2020 alone, 59 South Carolina hospitals won 239 Certified Zero Harm awards, representing 952,337 patient-days, 165,997 days without central line infection and 21,552 surgical procedures without any incidents of damage. This represents a projected economy of $ 10.85 million dollars and 4,219 days of hospitalization avoided.
SCHA joins Governor McMaster to congratulate the state’s hospitals and health systems for leading the nation in state efforts to promote highly reliable care and help lead South Carolina for a better state of health.
SCHA is committed to making South Carolina one of the healthiest states in the country, helping our hospitals and healthcare systems to provide the best care possible. We advocate sound health policies and legislation, facilitate collaboration to solve problems that none of us could solve alone, find and share innovations and best practices, and provide data, education and business solutions to help our members better serve their patients and communities. Together, we are leading South Carolina for a better state of health. Learn more about SCHA at www.scha.org
Media contact: Kyle Petersen, [email protected]
SOURCE South Carolina Hospital Association
