Of a three-year program
In 2010, Carson City Hospital (CCH) launched a unique three-year pilot program called MORE-OB (Managing Obstetrical Risk Efficiently). On July 21, the second year of the program was launched with a kick-off celebration held at the hospital.
“Today is the hottest day in 34 years and I get to wear a Hawaiian shirt instead of a suit and tie, so this is great timing,” joked CCH President and CEO Bruce L. Traverse, FACHE, in reference to the Hawaiian luau theme of the celebration. “In all seriousness, I’m very proud to be kicking off the second year of this incredible program. This unique approach to patient safety and quality is something we’d like to see even beyond the O.B. Department, eventually having it implemented throughout our entire hospital.”
Dr. Erin LeGrand, an O.B.-G.Y.N. physician who sees patients at the Center for Women’s HealthCare and delivers babies at CCH, provided an overview of the program’s first year and discussed the plans for the coming year.
“We’re all on a first-name basis, instead of being addressed as “doctor,” so there’s no hierarchy in the delivery room,” she explained. “No one should be afraid to speak up if something doesn’t seem right. This is an element of an effective HRO, which we are really embracing.”
An HRO is a “high-reliability organization,” such as a nuclear power plant or an airline, at which safety must be a number-one priority at all times. The MORE-OB program embraces the tenets and concepts of HROs, applying them to the health-care world. Carson City Hospital is the pilot program in the U.S. since the inception of a partnership between Salus and the Risk Management and Patient Safety Institute, who are working with CCH to implement the program.
The second phase of MORE-OB is titled Module 2: Working Together. In addition to building on a common knowledge base from the first year, hospital staff will also work together to practice emergency drills. This will ensure that team response is well coordinated. Adding to the foundation of trust and respect, communication and teamwork tools will be provided at this stage to help foster a more efficient communication environment.
For more information about Carson City Hospital, please call 989-584-3131 or visit www.carsoncityhospital.com.
The Carson City Hospital (CCH) MORE-OB Core Team members are pictured in the CCH main lobby during a kick-off event on July 21. Pictured from left to right, Mary Ellen Filbey of the Risk Management & Patient Safety Institute, CCH President and CEO Bruce L. Traverse, Dr. Michelle Becher of the Center for Women’s HealthCare (CFWHC), Dena Kent of CCH, Christina Snyder of CCH, Diane Brown of CCH, CCH O.B. Department Manager Shelly Betancourt, and Dr. Erin LeGrand of CFWHC.