Seven innovative ways Pediatrix is committed to patient safety

It’s Patient Safety Awareness Week, but for the clinicians and support staff at Pediatrix® Medical Group, ensuring patient safety is hardwired into everything we do.

“Pediatrix clinicians are continually striving to find evidence-based ways to improve care and increase collaboration among colleagues,” said Nicole Brenson, director of operations of the company’s Clinical Services Division, and associate director of the Center for Research, Education, Quality and Safety (CREQS).

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Here are just some of the ways we’re improving patient safety:

1. Center for Research, Education, Quality and Safety (CREQS): CREQS empowers health care providers to Take great care of the patient, every day and in every way.™ The center is committed to improving patient care through evidence-based medicine. It provides opportunities for clinicians to participate in clinical research, education, continuous quality-improvement (CQI) and patient-safety initiatives. These efforts contribute to better patient outcomes and reduced long-term health-system costs.
2. High Reliability Organization (HRO) program: Our HRO program is an extension of our ongoing work to improve care and outcomes for women and infants. The program combines the characteristics of HROs with Six Sigma, TeamSTEPPS (Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety) and Crew Resource Management to define and drive a culture that promotes safety and reliability. Our practice medical directors work with our HRO team to identify opportunities for improvement, and units are empowered to affect change at the local level — with national support.
3. Pediatrix Simulation program: Developed by experienced simulation educators, our accredited program features a range of simulation scenarios, including neonatal intensive care unit, pediatric intensive care unit, labor and delivery and pediatrics. Focused on education, communication, patient safety and quality improvement, the program enables clinicians to keep their skills sharp in a safe, simulated environment. Simulation is particularly useful for evaluating and improving skills during medical emergencies.
4. Extremely Preterm Infant Collaborative: Our involvement in the international Tiny Baby Collaborative, spearheaded by physicians and researchers at the University of Iowa, inspired internal discussions about how to best care for infants born at 22 to 24 weeks. During interactive monthly meetings, Pediatrix clinicians review case studies and evidence-based research, discuss best practices and get answers to questions about how to manage care for these micro-preemies (those born weighing less than 400 grams).
5. 100,000 Babies Campaign: In 2007, Pediatrix launched an ambitious CQI initiative to bolster care in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) across the country. By 2013, the initiative had reached 420,000 babies in 330 NICUs. Not only did more babies survive, but they survived with fewer complications, spending less time in the NICU, improving parent satisfaction and reducing health care costs. Building on the program’s success, version 2.0 of the effort provides tools to empower clinicians, giving them greater autonomy and flexibility to tailor CQI projects in their local markets. Our clinical data warehouse enables practices to track and trend patient-safety metrics, compare their performance against other units and identify areas for improvement.
6. Neonatology Grand Rounds: On the first Wednesday of each month, clinicians can earn continuing education credits by listening to experts present best practices and review the latest evidence-based research and clinical guidelines. Recent topics include improving the reliability of screening for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, transcatheter patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) closure and neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome. After the presentation, participants can ask questions and share information with a national network of colleagues.
7. CQI Projects: Practices often design and execute their own continuous quality-improvement projects. Pediatrix quality directors are sounding boards to bounce ideas for projects, answer questions about the QI process and help break down the barriers that may be impeding progress.

To learn more about these initiatives, contact the Pediatrix Center for Research, Education, Quality and Safety at CREQS@pediatrix.com.