Patient Safety

One of our core areas of focus is patient safety. Patient safety committees work diligently within our facilities, plus we provide pertinent information to all of our inpatients to educate them on the positive role they can play to ensure their safety. Banner Health also plays a leadership role in several nationwide patient safety efforts, including the 5 Million Lives campaign, which aims to dramatically reduce incidents of medical harm in U.S. hospitals. We have also participated and continue to work as a system in the Institute of Health Care Improvement’s 100,000 Lives Campaign which was also designed to make health care safer and more effective. The following six interventions are part of the 100,000 Lives Campaign:

• Deploy Rapid Response Teams…at the first sign of patient decline
• Deliver Reliable, Evidence-Based Care for Acute Myocardial Infarction…to prevent deaths from heart attack
• Prevent Adverse Drug Events (ADEs)…by implementing medication reconciliation
• Prevent Central Line Infections…by implementing a series of interdependent, scientifically grounded steps called the "Central Line Bundle"
• Prevent Surgical Site Infections…by reliably delivering the correct perioperative antibiotics at the proper time
• Prevent Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia…by implementing a series of interdependent, scientifically grounded steps including the "Ventilator Bundle"

When reliably implemented, these interventions will greatly reduce morbidity and mortality.