Media Release
Eric Riggle
Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital
Erin Stewart
Georgia Hospital Association
ATLANTA – Phoebe North in Albany, Ga., has been named to the Georgia Hospital Association’s (GHA) Partnership for Health and Accountability (PHA) Core Measures Honor Roll. Phoebe Northis one of 26 hospitals in Georgia to be placed in the Trustee category, one of the highest on the list. The honor roll is based on clinical data provided by the federal Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS), which administers the nation’s Medicare and Medicaid programs. The data was collected from January 2011 to December 2011.
“This is a great accomplishment for Phoebe North,” said Joseph Parker, president of GHA. “This recognition further underscores the commitment of the Phoebe Northstaff to ensuring that every patient receives the best, most effective health care possible.”
Hospitals are required to submit care data to CMS, which details how well a hospital’s caregivers adhere to a list of Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) core measures. These measures are the clinical processes of care that are known to be the most effective methods of treatment for surgical patients and patients who have suffered heart attacks, pneumonia and heart failure.
For instance, a recommended treatment to help prevent a heart attack is to take aspirin either before or upon arrival at the hospital, as well as at discharge. A suggested treatment for pneumonia is to administer an antibiotic within four hours of a patient’s arrival. It is recommended that surgery patients are given an antibiotic one hour prior to surgery to prevent infection. The VBP core measure is a composite measure that determines whether or not a patient received the right care at the right time.A hospital’s adherence to these recommended clinical practices usually leads to better outcomes.
“It is our mission to ensure that each of our patients receives the right care at the right time and this recognition validates this,” said Tom Sullivan, chief transition officer of Phoebe North. “This honor is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of our staff who are constantly working to make excellent care even better.”
About Phoebe North
Phoebe North, a 248-bed acute care hospital in Albany, Ga., is part of the Phoebe Putney Health System. Phoebe Putney Health System is a network of hospitals, family medicine clinics, rehab facilities, auxiliary services, and medical education training facilities located throughout South Georgia. For additional information about Phoebe North and Phoebe Putney Health System go to www.phoebeputney.com.
About PHA
The Partnership for Health and Accountability, formed in January 2000 and sponsored by the Georgia Hospital Association, is a unique statewide collaborative that brings together health care providers with community agencies and individuals to achieve healthy communities. PHA includes representation from groups like hospitals, physicians, state health officials, legislators and businesses.