Patient Safety Awareness Week is March 8 to 14 this year. Orchestrated by the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF), it is an annual education and awareness campaign for health care safety. NPSF’s goal is to create a world where patients and those who care for them are free from harm by working to advance the use of safe strategies and advocate for patient and healthcare workforce safety.
The theme for 2015 is “United in Safety,” which emphasizes the fact that everyone in the health care process plays a vital role in delivering safe care for patients. The underlying focus is patient engagement and the relationship between providers, patients, and their loved ones.
During Patient Safety Awareness Week, Meritage Medical Network would like to highlight some of the ways we are committed to patient safety. As a health care network with over 700 private practice physicians in Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, Meritage staff members work with a wide variety of providers and patients. Because of this, they have a keen understanding of what it takes to advocate for patients and communicate across disciplines.
For example, ACO care managers on staff work toward developing interdisciplinary approaches with everyone involved in a patient’s healthcare. This goes beyond stays in the hospital and visits to a physician. The staff at Meritage help their patients manage care transitions from the hospital to home as well. This involves allowing nurses to work with each patient in an individualized way, providing accurate and easy-to-understand information about care and follow up, and teaching patients to be advocates for themselves.
“We are here to help patients navigate the healthcare system. When patients leave the hospital, we don’t want them to come back. We want them to get better and stay healthy,” shared RN and ACO Care Manager Nazeena Gill.
Often, enhanced communication is the key to safer care, and Meritage staff strive to provide this for all their clientele while also focusing on a commitment to continuity of care. Additionally, Meritage has a home safety program, developed by our Occupational Therapist and Fall Safety Specialist. Staff will go to patients’ homes, conduct an evaluation and make personalized recommendations for their residence.
For more information about Patient Safety Awareness Week, you can visit the NPSF website at: http://www.npsf.org/?page=awarenessweek.