Heart Failure Management at Valley Baptist - Harlingen Listed Among Top 5 in United States

HARLINGEN, Dec. 5, 2005  – Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen is ranked number 4 in the entire United States in the treatment of heart failure, according to a unique pay-for-performance demonstration project conducted by the federal government.
 
In an important and emerging trend for health care, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) conducted the groundbreaking project to reward quality and performance among the nation’s hospitals. The top 123 hospitals in the country will receive reward bonuses for their performance.

Valley Baptist’s performance in heart failure management was recently cited in a national publication, Modern Healthcare. The article noted that Valley Baptist-Harlingen met quality objectives for treating heart failure patients 94.5 percent of the time, placing it fourth in the entire country. The top-ranked hospital in the nation, Lourdes Hospital of Kentucky, met quality objectives 96.3 percent of the time – edging out Valley Baptist-Harlingen and two other hospitals by less than two percentage points. Valley Baptist-Harlingen was also the top ranked hospital in Texas and in the entire half of the country west of the Mississippi River in the rankings for heart failure management.

“This ranking validates the dedicated focus of our clinical staff and physicians to improve the care provided to our cardiac patients,” said Shane Spees, Chief Executive Officer for Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen. “By adopting evidence-based measures as a standard part of a cardiac patient’s plan of care, we are able to monitor and measure the overall improvement in outcomes.”

Mr. Spees added that the government’s rankings are “proof that Valley residents have access to the highest quality of healthcare available in the United States right here at home. The award is a tribute to the many excellent physicians and staff working at Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen. We are honored to receive such recognition.”

Valley Baptist - Harlingen's Heart Failure Program aims to help patients manage their disease and prevent complications. The program includes appropriate diagnostic assessment, medication management, as well as education on diet and all other aspects of managing heart failure.

Heart failure is a progressive condition in which the heart's muscle becomes weakened because of a heart attack, heart disease or high blood pressure. The condition causes the heart to lose its ability to pump enough blood to supply the body's needs. Heart failure affects nearly 5 million Americans, killing 250,000 people every year. But with earlier diagnosis and newer treatments, people with heart failure are able to continue enjoying their everyday activities and have a more normal life expectancy.

The rankings of hospitals are based on the latest set of core measures that have been nationally accepted as indicators of quality. These “best practice standards” for patients with heart failure include performing assessments of the function of the left ventricle of the heart; prescribing the appropriate medications; providing detailed discharge instructions to each patient; and providing advice and counseling on the importance of smoking cessation.

Valley Baptist has been able to improve patient care through a process improvement program called Six Sigma. Valley Baptist is one of the first health care facilities in Texas to use the Six Sigma method, which was pioneered in high-tech companies such as General Electric. Valley Baptist Health System, under the leadership of its President and CEO James Springfield, has made Six Sigma improvement one of its top corporate initiatives in order to maximize performance and patient satisfaction throughout the health system.

Two of the recent Six Sigma initiatives at Valley Baptist-Harlingen -- which focused on evidenced-based medical management of heart failure and acute myocardial infarction – have resulted in fewer patients returning to the Emergency Dept. In addition, those patients who do return are doing so at an earlier stage in the cardiac event, when treatment is more effective. Improved management of these heart conditions has also resulted in reduced length of stay in the hospital and other improvements in patient outcomes.

Pam Warner, RN, Administrative Director for Valley Baptist, serves as the “owner” of Valley Baptist-Harlingen’s Six Sigma initiative, which focuses on better management of heart failure patients. Also serving on the Six Sigma team are Dr. Garner Klein, cardiologist (retired); Dr. John Partin, Family Practice Physician; Laurie Preston, LVN, Core Measures Specialist; Carolyn Hutchinson, RN, Nurse Manager for Cardiac Rehabilitation at VBMC; Lori Feucht, RN, Nurse Manager of the Progressive Coronary Care Unit at VBMC-Harlingen; Jerry Salazar, RN, also of VBMC’s Progressive Coronary Care Unit; and Leticia Culbertson, RN, Case Manager at VBMC.