The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has communities on high alert, and AMSURG is equipping its more than 250 ambulatory surgery center partnerships with clinical best practices to prepare for and protect patients from the virus.
AMSURG values the ability to partner with clinicians and work as a community to ensure the delivery of high quality and safe patient care. In honor of Patient Safety Awareness Week from March 8-14, AMSURG is proud to recognize our ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) partners across the country and highlight their commitment to safety.
This past year, 12 of AMSURG’s partnering centers were among the pilot group of volunteers who participated in the first-ever Culture of Safety Survey offered to ASCs. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) designed this survey to evaluate how each employee feels about the patient safety environment of their center.
The engagement and responsiveness of the participating centers presented an opportunity for Nina Goins, R.N., Vice President of Quality and Clinical Services for AMSURG, to analyze the data and to work individually with these ASCs to establish and share comprehensive best practices. “I truly believe in a learning culture,” Goins said. “We really value this initiative because it allowed us to learn more about our centers’ safety culture and how we can best support them.”
In a collaborative effort with center leaders and medical directors, Goins and her team developed action plans, identified areas of opportunity for improving patient safety and implemented effective change management strategies. Following the success of the survey, Goins plans to offer the Culture of Safety Survey to all partner centers in 2020.
The Culture of Safety Survey works to improve the quality of care and reduce the risk of complications that can harm both patient and clinician well-being. When it comes to addressing clinician’s concerns at our centers, Ginger Woodside, R.N., Director of Clinical Risk Management for AMSURG, focuses on improving situational awareness in addition to serving as the voice of support. “We are really focused on engagement because it is so important for these clinicians to have this safe space to talk,” Woodside said. “We want them to know that we are here; we are their resource.”
Looking towards the future, AMSURG will continue to pursue enhancements in patient care with culture- driven initiatives focused on community support and patient safety.
Learn how Envision Healthcare’s Patient Safety Organization is setting new standards and Envision Physicians Services is leveraging data and collaboration to improve patient outcomes through the links below.