University of Maryland Medical Center Named “Top Hospital of the Decade” for Safety and Quality

UMMC is one of just two hospitals nationwide to be awarded this recognition

The University of Maryland Medical Center has been desig-nated by the Leapfrog Group as a Top Hospital of the Decade for patient safety and quality of care. The award recognizes the Medical Center’s inclusion on the Leapfrog Top Hospital list every year since its inception in 2006. The Medical Center shares the Top Hospital of the Decade honor with only one other hospital—Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. The awards were presented on November 30 in Washington, D.C.

The Leapfrog Group’s national survey measures hospital performance in a variety of areas including patient care out-comes, use of best practices, and patient safety initiatives and measures of efficiency. It is the only national, public comparison of hospitals on key issues, including preventing medication errors and infections, and standards for performing high-risk procedures. Each year, Leapfrog adds new, more stringent performance measures and expands the criteria for hospitals to meet its standards.

“It is a tremendous honor to be one of only two hospitals in the nation recognized as a Leapfrog Top Hospital of the Decade for safety and quality. It demonstrates that our entire staff—including clinical leaders, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, therapists and support staff—is focused on providing the best patient care every day,” says Jeffrey A. Rivest, President and Chief Executive Officer of the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Winter 2011

Welcome to WinterWinter is here…with cold weather and a return

to indoor activities. Winter and the new year also remind us to start some new routines and resolutions, and this issue GET WELL & Stay Well features several important health topics you may want to consider.

The University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) is proud to announce that it was recog- nized as one of the nation’s top hospitals again for the fifth year in a row by the Leapfrog organization. Because of our long-standing, high- quality ratings, UMMC was also designated by the Leapfrog organization as the Top Hospital of the Decade for patient safety and quality. Read all about this important designation in our feature article. We are proud of this honor as it reflects our ongoing commitment to excellence.

The Patient Resource Center is beginning its seventh year of operations in March with well over 14,000 people using its services to date. The new year will bring more programs and services to the community as we continue to provide tobacco prevention education, fitness walking programs and other health and wellness information to our patients, families and the community.

Please look at our course schedule and read our informative articles, and learn how to better care for yourself and others. Our vision is to help people GET WELL and Stay Well.

Stay Healthy, Anne D. Williams, RN, MS Editor

Please direct editorial inquiries to: Anne D. Williams, RN, MS at awilliams@umm.edu

continued on page 3

“We have worked to create a collaborative, professional

and meaningful environment for our nurses and other

patient care staff, which, in turn, provides a solid

foundation for high-quality patient care.”

&The Immortal Life and Legacy of Henrietta Lacks Marie arMstrong, CoMMunity outreaCh Liaison

On Friday, February 11, 2011, the University of Maryland Medical Center, in collaboration with UMMC Pastoral Services and University of Maryland, will host a conference entitled Henrietta Lacks: Her Enduring Legacy in Medical Research, Bioethics and Health Empowerment—60 Years Later featuring bestselling author Rebecca Skloot. Ms. Skloot’s debut novel is the highly acclaimed, best-seller, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

Henrietta Lacks was an African-American woman who resided in Baltimore’s Turner Station community over 60 years ago. She was diagnosed with cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital and later succumbed to the disease at the young age of 31 years. A culture of her cells was taken during an unauthorized biopsy before her death. Her family was totally unaware that this act had taken place. From this culture, her cells multiplied and have been used by researchers globally for decades. Her “immortal cells” have played a key role in several medical breakthroughs, like developing new cancer medica-tions, the polio vaccine, in vitro fertilization and gene mapping, to name a few discoveries.

Join UMMC on Friday, February 11, 2011, 8:00 am – 2:00 pm for a program to include Rebecca Skloot and a UMB Leaders’ Roundtable at the Marriott Inner at Camden Yards Hotel, corner of Lombard & Eutaw Streets (Grand Ballroom). Ms. Skloot will also be on hand to sign copies of her book. This event is free, and registration is required for the day program. An evening event has also been planned to pay tribute to the life of Henrietta Lacks At 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm, there will be a reception, and at 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm, there will be a program and dinner. The eve-ning event will also be held at the Marriott in the Grand Ballroom and will be invitation only.

For more information regarding author Rebecca Skloot and the life of Henrietta Lacks, please contact UMMC Pastoral Care Office (Susan Roy or Melvin Dupree) at 410-328-6014 or log onto www.umm.edu.

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University of Maryland Medical Center Named “Top Hospital of the Decade” for Safety and Quality(continued from page 1)

“The Leapfrog survey is a comprehensive, objective and up-to-date assessment of hospital performance in a wide range of areas that are critical to patient safety. It is an important resource for health care consumers when they are choosing a hospital for care,” says Rivest.

The Leapfrog Group is a coalition of public and private purchasers of employee health coverage formed a decade ago to work for improvements (or “leaps”) in health care safety, quality and afford-ability. Initially organized by the Business Roundtable, it is now an independent advocacy group working with a broad range of partners, including hospitals and insurers.

“We met, and in some cases exceeded, all of Leapfrog’s perfor-mance standards for computerized physician order entry and a variety of complex procedures, including aortic valve replacement, interventional cardiology procedures, bariatric surgery and high risk deliveries,” says Jonathan Gottlieb, MD, Chief Medical Officer of the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Another important factor that Leapfrog evaluates is whether hospi-tal intensive care units are staffed by physicians who have specialized training in intensive or critical care, known as intensivists.

“All ten of our Intensive Care Units, including the surgical, medical, neurological, cardiac surgery, multi-trauma and pediatric ICUs, are staffed by doctors who are specially trained in intensive and critical care,” says Dr. Gottlieb.

“The fact that we have been on the Leapfrog Group’s list of the nation’s top performing hospitals for the fifth year in a row demon-strates our intense focus on patient safety and quality of care,” says Lisa Rowen, DNSc, RN, Senior Vice President for patient care services and Chief Nursing Officer at the University of Maryland Medical Center. “We have worked to create a collaborative, professional and meaningful environment for our nurses and other patient care staff, which, in turn, provides a solid foundation for high-quality patient care,” she says.

For more information about the Leapfrog Group and the Top Hospitals list: www.leapfroggroup.org.

For more information about the University of Maryland Medical Center: www.umm.edu.

Text4baby Launches at UMMC

Text4baby is a free mobile information service designed to promote maternal and child health. An educational program of the National Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB), Text4baby provides pregnant women and new moms with information they need to take care of their health and give their babies the best possible start in life. This is the largest public-private partnership to date to tackle infant mortality in the US. Women who sign up for the service by texting BABY (or BEBE for Spanish) to 511411 will receive free SMS text messages each week, timed to their due date or baby’s date of birth.

Text4baby is made possible through a broad, public-private partnership that includes the govern-ment, corporations, academic institutions, professional associations, tribal agencies and non-profit organizations. The text messages start from week five for a newly pregnant woman and continue through the baby’s first birthday. Educational topics include prenatal nutrition, emotional changes during pregnancy, safety tips for newborns, breastfeeding and many others.

UMMC is a proud partner and is encouraging pregnant women to sign-up for this free educational service. For more information, visit www.text4baby.org or www.umm.edu.

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January – March 2011 Calendar

To register for classes (except for Stork’s Nest, Childbirth and Infant Care), please contact the Patient Resource Center at 410-328-WELL (9355). All sessions are free and held in the UMMC Patient Resource Center unless noted.

EventsHenrietta Lacks: Her Enduring Legacy in Medical Research, Bioethics and Health Empowerment – 60 Years LaterUMMC in collaboration with UMMC Pastoral Services & University of Maryland, Baltimore hosts this conference.Friday, February 11, 8 am - 2 pm Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards (corner of Lombard and Eutaw Street)Admission is free and registration required.For more information, please call the UMMC Pastoral Care Office at 410-328-6014.

½ Price Spa Service on Valentines DayMonday, February 14Proceeds to benefit the Greenebaum Cancer Center.Center for Image Renewal For more information, please call 410-328-9134.

Keep the Beat... Dance for your HeartThis senior citizen-friendly event offers free heart healthy screening and information, as well as dance demonstrations and much more.Thursday, February 17 (snow date 2/22)10 am - 2 pmVollmer Center4915 Greenspring AvenueBaltimore, MD 21209Call 410-396-2920 to reserve your spot.

Free Mammograms and Pap Tests UMMC Cancer CenterFor Women over 40 years living in Baltimore City.Offered by the Baltimore City Cancer Program.Call 410-328-HOPE (4673).Funded by the Cigarette Restitution Fund Program.

GET WELL & Stay Well is produced by the UMMC Patient Resource Center.Jeffrey A. Rivest, FACHE, President and Chief Executive OfficerUniversity of Maryland Medical CenterDana Farrakhan, Senior Director Strategic Planning and MarketingAnne D. Williams, RN, MS, ManagerComments or suggestions should be sent to awilliams@umm.edu.

Food Safety...It’s in Your HandsWeekly—Mondays,10 am9 Gudelsky Conference Room near the BMT unit entrance.For any Cancer Center patients, families or caregivers.Contact Hadas at 410-328-5462 to register.

Massage (Seated)Weekly—Fridays, 12 noon – 3 pm$18 for a 15-minute seated massage.Call the Patient Resource Center to schedule an appointment.Gift certificates are available in the Patient Resource Center.

Knitting ClubInspired by Amber’s Chemo Caps program of the Marlene & Stewart Cancer Center.1st Wednesday of the monthPatient Resource CenterContact Trisha Kendall, RN @ 8-5420 or tkendall@umm.edu.Walk-ins are welcome.

Support GroupsTransplant Support Group – Education Series3rd Tuesday each month, 4 – 6:30 pm UMMC Patient Resource Center

Leukemia and Lymphoma Support Group4th Wednesday each month,1 – 2:30 pmUMMC Patient Resource CenterCost: Free to all adults/families with Leukemia, Hodgkins or non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, or Myeloma.Call Tracy Orwig at 410-825-2500 or Beth Wintermute at 410-328-3595 to register or for information.

Breast Cancer Support Group4th Thursday each month, 12 noonUMMC Patient Resource CenterFree to all women with breast cancer.Call Stacey Stephens at 410-328-4673 for more information.Funded by the Cigarette Restitution Fund Program.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Support Group1st Thursday each month, 6:30 – 7:30 pmUMMC Patient Resource CenterCall Nadja Cheevers at 410-706-3398 for more information.

ClassesStork’s Nest – Prenatal EducationJanuary 7, 14, 21, 28February 4, 11, 18, 25March 4, 11, 18, 25All classes run from 10:30 am – 12:30 pm every FridayPlease contact Stork’s Nest at 410-328-6997 for information and registration.

Childbirth Education, Infant CPR, and Infant CarePlease contact the Childbirth Education office at 410-328-2944 for class information and registration for Infant Care, Breastfeeding and Infant CPR.

Reiki from the Heart A foundation created and run by Nursing.Mondays, 10 am – 3 pmWeekly—ongoing20 min. sessions are offered for $10.UMMC Patient Resource Center.Proceeds to benefit patient-related programs (like the GAP Fund) and nursing education funds.This program is sponsored by the Adult and Trauma PACUs and The Healing Pathways Program. For more information, please email reikifromtheheart@umm.edu.

Smoking Cessation — American Lung Association’s Freedom from Smoking®

Tuesdays, 12 noon – 1 pmWeekly for 8 weeks.Starting January 11, 2011.Call 410-328-9355 for registration and information.You don’t have to quit the first day!Cost: Free (includes ALA educational packet).

Spine/Orthopedics Pre-op ClassWednesdays, 12 noon – 2 pmUMMC Patient Resource Center.Call Cindy Fox or Pauline Esoga at 410-328-5360 for more information.

Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Pre-transplant Patient Education 1st, 3rd and 5th Wednesdays 10 am – 11:30 amFor more information, call 410-328-1229.

Look Good, Feel Better2nd Monday of each month from 2 – 4 pmA free program that teaches beauty techniques to women cancer patients in active treatment to help them combat the appearance-related effects of cancer treatments. UMMC Center for Image RenewalLight fare provided for participants.For reservations, please call 410-328-9154.

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