Western Maryland Health System Enhances Relationship With Premier Healthcare Alliance By Selecting SafetySurveillor
CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Western Maryland Health System (WMHS) in Cumberland has expanded its relationship with the Premier healthcare alliance by agreeing to implement Premier's SafetySurveillor™ to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and optimize antibiotic use, thereby protecting patients more effectively and reducing hospital costs.
The hospital will use SafetySurveillor's infection control and pharmacy modules at its two campuses. More than 200 hospitals have chosen Premier's Web-based solution to enhance patient care, making SafetySurveillor the most widely adopted infection control solution during the past 18 months. The system is also purchasing access to the Premier Performance Improvement Portal™.
WMHS COO Tom Dowdel said, "We are committed to the Premier healthcare alliance and use several Premier Informatics tools already. We are definitely satisfied with results so we are excited to further engage with Premier by selecting SafetySurveillor. It will be a key part of our efforts to make infection prevention a top priority in our facilities."
Premier Epidemiologist/Director of Infection Prevention Salah Qutaishat, PhD, CIC, FSHEA said, "We welcome Western Maryland Health System to our ever-growing harm avoidance efforts. The Premier healthcare alliance is committed to helping hospitals implement innovative infection prevention methods to create safer hospital environments and enhance the quality of patient care."
WMHS is dedicated to improving the overall health of the more than 100,000 people in the Cumberland Metro area in Western Maryland and the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia. It offers a comprehensive range of general and specialty services for medical, surgical, pediatric, and obstetrical patients. Sophisticated diagnostic testing services are provided at each campus, as well as at off-site, outpatient diagnostic centers. An extensive range of physician specialties is available, with over 200 physicians practicing in the community.
WMHS has been an owner of the Premier Purchasing Partners group purchasing network and its predecessors since the 1980s and also uses other Premier performance improvement tools and services. It is also a member of the Colonial Regional Alliance, a group of eight not-for-profit hospitals in Central and Western Maryland, Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia dedicated to reducing operating expenses and other shared service initiatives to improve healthcare.
SafetySurveillor helps hospitals meet state-mandated public reporting of certain HAIs, including screening for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile, some of the most common and harmful infections found in hospitals today. With the automated SafetySurveillor system, hospitals can detect HAIs, alert staff and facilitate timely intervention to reduce and prevent infections.
Premier is one of the HAI surveillance system software vendors participating in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention project to develop a standards-based solution for transmission of HAI data from hospitals using existing commercial software systems to the agency's National Healthcare Safety network.
About Western Maryland Health System
The Western Maryland Health System was formed in 1996 by the affiliation of Memorial Hospital of Cumberland and Sacred Heart Hospital. A new regional medical center will open in fall 2009, replacing facilities at a location with easy access for patients, visitors, physicians and staff. It is close to the Allegany College of Maryland and the Allegany County Health Department. The three form a partnership that will be enhanced by bringing patient care, public health services, and health career training together in one location. For more information, go to www.wmhs.com.
About Premier Inc., 2006 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient
Serving more than 2,000 U.S. hospitals and 53,000-plus other healthcare sites, the Premier healthcare alliance and its members are transforming healthcare together. Owned by not-for-profit hospitals, Premier operates one of the leading healthcare purchasing networks and the nation's most comprehensive repository of hospital clinical and financial information. A subsidiary operates one of the nation's largest policy-holder owned, hospital professional liability risk-retention groups. A world leader in helping healthcare providers deliver dramatic improvements in care, Premier is working with the United Kingdom's National Health Service North West and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to improve hospital performance. Headquartered in San Diego, Premier has offices in Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and Washington. For more information, visit www.premierinc.com.
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