Medical Director Quality Awards

MEDICAL DIRECTOR QUALITY AWARDS

The St. Tammany Quality Network Medical Director Award was created in July 2014 to recognize clinicians who demonstrate innovative leadership, a commitment to quality and a focus on efficiency. The first three recipients are Dr. David Cressy for his role in the St. Tammany Parish Hospital sepsis education initiative and Drs. Michael Iverson and Mark Dominguez for their efforts in the reduction of surgical site infections.

Dr. Cressy spearheaded the effort to provide educational information to the ICU staff, ED physicians and hospitalists on the optimal care of sepsis patients. These sessions included a review of best practices for the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis and a status update of the performance at STPH overall and by nursing unit for sepsis management. He also provided a roadmap for performance improvement that included operational recommendations and a coding review for providers to make sure they capture all of the work that is associated with the care of these complex patients. A copy of the presentation can be found here.

With a focus on reducing surgical site infections, Drs. Iverson and Dominguez collaborated on a standardized process that spans the continuum of care for surgical patients that begins in the holding area and continues until the patient gets transferred to the floor. The process was documented on this checklist that provides guidance on the use of prophylactic antibiotics and peri-operative beta-blockers, as well as safety measures to support DVT prophylaxis, promote active warming and the appropriate timing for urinary catheter removal.

Please congratulate these three STQN physicians for their efforts on these important quality initiatives.