North American Partners in Anesthesia Recognized by The Joint Commission for Enhancements to Sedation Process at Nassau University Medical Center
Collaboration with NUMC Leads to Acceptance into TJC Leading Practice Library
North American Partners in Anesthesia (NAPA) and the Department of Quality Management at Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC), located in East Meadow, N.Y., recently joined forces to upgrade the hospital’s sedation records. The effort resulted in the newly revised sedation records being recognized by The Joint Commission’s (TJC) as a benchmark for quality and safety, leading to their acceptance into TJC’s leading practice library.
The process began in July 2012 and was led by NAPA’s Raymond Pesso, M.D., Chairman of the Department of Anesthesia at NUMC, and Julianne Prendergast, RN, Clinical Investigator of the Department of Quality. NUMC is the first hospital in New York State and fourth in the country to be acknowledged by TJC for their sedation records.
“While we had not identified any quality of care concerns with the previous procedural sedation monitoring process, it was identified that there was room for improvement,” said Dr. Pesso. “NAPA collaborated with the Department of Quality Management to revise our current Moderate Sedation Assessment and Post Sedation Monitoring Record as well as the accompanying policy. CMS requirements, TJC standards as well as the most current guidelines from the American Society of Anesthesiologists were all reviewed and any missing elements were incorporated into the new forms.”
During their collaborative effort, NAPA and the Department of Quality Management reached out to neighboring hospitals to review their records – allowing them to establish a community benchmark for sedation records. Once a draft was developed, NUMC’s nursing leadership was consulted and provided input. The resulting product consisted of two separate forms: the Pre Procedure-Sedation Assessment Record and the Sedation Procedure, Post Procedure-Recovery Records and Post Procedure-Sedation Assessment. Over the course of 14 months, the submission underwent rigorous clinical review and was ultimately accepted by The Joint Commission. In its review, TJC stated the sedation records supported quality and safety, and judged the records to be of potential benefit to other organizations.
The Leading Practice Library allows Joint Commission accredited organizations to research “real-life” solutions that have been successfully implemented by their peers. The Joint Commission makes these leading practices available to organizations that may wish to examine their applicability to their particular circumstances. It is a constantly-evolving, up-to-date collection of protocols and documents.. This Library resides in every TJC-accredited organization’s extranet world-wide.
Media Contact:
Jill Hoenigmann, Marketing Coordinator
North American Partners in Anesthesia
t: (516) 945-3030
jhoenigmann@NAPAanesthesia.com
About North American Partners in Anesthesia
Founded in 1986, North American Partners in Anesthesia (NAPA) is the leading single specialty anesthesia management company in the United States. NAPA is comprised of the most respected clinical staff, providing thousands of patients with superior and attentive care. The company is known for partnering with hospitals and other health care facilities across the nation to provide anesthesia services and perioperative leadership that maximize operating room performance, enhance revenue, and demonstrate consistent patient and surgeon satisfaction ratings. For more information, please visit www.NAPAanesthesia.com.
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