Adventist Health Mendocino Coast Recognized for Exceptional Performance in the Hospital Quality Improvement Program
January 12, 2020 (FORT BRAGG, CA) -- Adventist Health Mendocino Coast (AHMC) has been recognized for the hospital’s achievement in exceptional patient care performance by the Partnership HealthPlan Quality Improvement Program. The Quality Improvement Incentive Program was developed to work in collaboration with hospitals in areas such as readmissions, advance care planning, clinical quality, patient safety, operations and efficiency. For 100% achievement for Adventist Health Mendocino Coast the hospital met all 9 metrics measured in this program.
“This is the second year in a row that this facility has met this goal, and to do this in spite of the challenges of COVID makes it even more meaningful,” Heather Brown-Douglas, Director of Quality at the Mendocino Coast says of this accomplishment.
Some highlights of this improvement work include palliative care which the AHMC team has developed a committee whose work is to increase access to palliative care consultations for patients to help them gain the services they need, driving a more patient focused care specialized in relief from symptoms to improve quality of life for serious illnesses. AHMC was also highlighted for the work increasing efforts in substance use disorder treatment by referring patients with opioid use disorders to medication assisted treatments, reducing readmissions to the hospital which reflected by the dedicated case management and nursing staff and immunization registry coordination as they looked to increase vaccine input at the hospital.
“This year was truly a collaboration between the former Mendocino Coast District Hospital leadership, Adventist Health current leadership and the Partnership HealthPlan team working together to improve the access and quality of care for patients,” Heather went on to say. The award received represents changes made between July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020.
As the team gains superior ratings from partners in areas of consistent improvement Adventist Health Mendocino Coast looks forward to showing these strengths as they support the community. The expansion of providers and processes and improvements made in the last year is now linking the three Adventist Health Mendocino County hospitals together and results in more efficient pathways for patient care. This award presents a focus on patient centered care as we strive to create a safe, clean, and caring environment for our community.