EJGH Proud To Join Louisiana Hospital Association HEN Program For Patient Safety

East Jefferson General Hospital is proud to join the Louisiana Hospital Association (LHA) for its statewide Hospital Engagement Network (HEN), which focuses on improving patient care and reducing healthcare costs in the state. The goal of HEN is to reduce avoidable patient harm in nine areas by 40 percent and readmissions by 20 percent by December 2013. EJGH is part of a coalition of 93 Louisiana hospitals that have joined the LHA HEN initiative.

“This patient safety and quality-based program represent the commonality that all hospitals should share,” says Ruby Brewer, R.N., M.S.N, M.B.A., EJGH Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer. “It allows us to work together in a way that improves patient care across the board and gives us a vehicle to share clinical information that will drive best practices in the future. We are extremely excited to take a leading role in improving healthcare in our state.”

The LHA has been awarded a contract, in partnership with The Health Research & Education Trust (HRET), by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to support the Partnership for Patients (PfP) campaign. PfP is a national initiative launched earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HRET is the largest HEN contract in the country with over 34 hospital associations and 1,600 hospitals participating in its network. The LHA has the largest HEN operating in Louisiana, with 93 participating hospitals.

“This launch is the largest healthcare quality improvement project in the history of Louisiana,” said John Matessino, LHA President and CEO. “Our focus is on implementing a culture of safety and evidence-based tools to support patient- and family-centered care and is indicative of Louisiana hospitals’ commitment to quality of care and patient safety.”

For more information on the HEN, visit www.healthcare.gov/compare/partnership-for-patients or www.hret.org.