HAMPTON REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER RECOGNIZED FOR EFFORTS TO REDUCE READMISSIONS
VARNVILLE, S.C. (July 29, 2014) - Over the past two years, Hampton Regional Medical Center (HRMC) has significantly reduced readmissions for 20% of Medicare patients treated for congestive heart failure.
The hospital's achievement was recently recognized in Columbia during a statewide meeting attended by more than 200 health professionals.
"HRMC is dedicated to improving the health of our community," said Dave Hamill, CEO of Hampton Regional Medical Center. "This recognition is a testament to the hard work of our physicians, nurses, and other support staff to make sure patients have the medical care and resources available to them once they leave the hospital, which ultimately helps to reduce readmissions back into the hospital at a later time."
The exceptional results were achieved during the facility's work with a South Carolina collaborative health care improvement program, Preventing Avoidable Readmissions Together (PART), which provides educational resources for clinical staff from across the state along with opportunities to share experiences, innovations and best practices.
HRMC has been addressing and improving their readmission rates through a variety of innovations which include expanding patient education, reviewing individual readmissions to find process improvements, and working with patients to ensure outpatient care and compliance with their family physician and physician specialists.
PART was established in September 2012 by the South Carolina Partnership for Health and the state's Medicare quality organization, The Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence.
"Reducing preventable readmissions is an important part of our statewide efforts in South Carolina to improve the quality of health care delivered to every patient. We're very pleased to see these results as we continue to focus on helping patients avoid a return to the hospital," said Rick Foster, M.D., senior vice president for quality and patient safety at the South Carolina Hospital Association. SCHA is a member of the Partnership for Health.
Overall, South Carolina has lowered readmissions by 15%, ranking ninth out of 53 U.S. states and territories in the rate of improvement.
Photo: Hampton Regional Medical Center is recognized for a reduction of readmissions by 20% from the SC Partnership for Health and The Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence. Accepting on behalf of HRMC is Kellie S. Gibson, RN, BSN, Clinical Performance and Education Coordinator.
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About Hampton Regional Medical Center:
Hampton Regional Medical Center is an award-winning private, not-for-profit hospital located in the majestic Lowcountry of South Carolina. Affiliated with Roper St. Francis, it has been providing services to the region since 1950. The 32-bed hospital is 85,000 SF and has on-site 24-hour emergency care, state-of-the art diagnostic imaging services, laboratory, surgery, and rehabilitation. It is the recipient of the 2012 South Carolina Outstanding Rural Healthcare Organization of the Year.
The hospital campus includes two medical office buildings that house Coastal Plains Physician Associates and Primary Care. The multi-specialty physician group is a not-for-profit organization, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hampton Regional Medical Center. Coastal Plains offers services in primary care medicine, general surgery, orthopedics, cardiology and radiology. Additionally, the hospital works with physician specialists from around the state to provide on-site appointments in neurology, oncology, podiatry and vascular & vein.
For more information about Hampton Regional Medical Center and Coastal Plains, visit: www.hamptonregional.org
