Baptist Northeast receives quality award

Baptist Hospital Northeast recently received the Hospital Quality Improvement Initiative 2007 Commitment to Quality Award from Health Care Excel, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for Kentucky. The award recognizes Baptist Northeast’s dedication to quality improvement by participation in appropriate care measures, the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) and systems improvement organizational culture change.

More than 40 million operations are performed in the United States each year, many of them complicated by infection, blood clots and heart problems. These complications take a toll not only on the patients, but also on the overall cost of healthcare across the country. A significant percentage of these complications are preventable.

The Surgical Care Improvement Project is a national quality partnership of organizations focused on improving surgical care by significantly reducing surgical complications.

"This award is a reflection of the quality of care provided by our employees and physicians," said Administrator Dennis Johnson. "We are proud to partner with Health Care Excel and other hospitals across the nation to provide the best quality care possible."

Quality of care measures for all hospitals are tracked and publicly reported on Hospital Compare, a comparison Web site.