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St. Anthony gets top rating

Deborah Sederberg
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - St. Anthony Memorial has been recognized for exceptional work in several areas.

It has been given the top rating of five stars for being in the top 15 percent of hospitals in the treatment of heart failure and in the area of hip replacement surgery, the hospital announced. The rating was conferred for 2009 by the national health care rating organization, HealthGrades.

St. Anthony Memorial also was recognized for the near-elimination of ventilator-associated pneumonia in the intensive care unit for 2009, an award shared by the three hospitals in the Northern Indiana Region of the Sisters of St. Francis Health Services, parent of St. Anthony Memorial. It also includes St. Anthony in Crown Point and St. Margaret Mercy in Hammond and Dyer. The award was presented by Global Six Sigma, which measures quality among various businesses, including those in health care.

"The patients are the ones who really benefit," said Dr. James Callaghan, president of St. Anthony Memorial.

And Genny Koehler, a nurse and manager of quality, said it was a team effort.

The team working on reduction of ventilator-associated pneumonia developed a new protocol, in essence a checklist of best practices. Nurses, respiratory therapists and physicians followed that checklist without fail, she said.

Dr. Maurice Ndukwu, a specialist in pulmonary conditions and medical director of ICU, leads inter-disciplinary rounds that include nurses, respiratory therapists, case managers, pharmacists and others.

"You don't see (rounds) in many places that aren't teaching hospitals," said Callaghan. "But it's most important to remember that patients are the big winners here."

The average length of stay in ICU was reduced by 33 percent and ventilator days were reduced by an average of 39 percent, and the hospital shortened the time it takes to get lab results.

The new protocol improves outcomes for youngsters with asthma, the hospital said. The asthma action plan is sent in writing home with parents. A nurse makes a follow-up phone call to be sure the plan is being followed and that the child is responding well. Often, the child is referred to the hospital's lung center.

Koehler said it is vital to train everyone involved in a patient's care whenever a new procedure is instituted.

"Say we created a perfect process," Koehler said, explaining it isn't likely to be successful unless everyone understands what it is and how it works. "The key was buy-in, and our people have been more than cooperative. They are enthusiastic and excited about the outcome."