Texas Health HEB Earns Top Safety Grade
from The Leapfrog Group

BEDFORD, TEXAS, Oct. 30, 2015 – Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford earned an “A” grade for patient safety, according to the latest Hospital Safety Scores from The Leapfrog Group. The organization used publicly available quality and safety measures, as well as an assessment of leadership commitment to creating a safe environment for patients, to come up with the letter grades.

Nationally, only 30 percent of the 2,530 hospitals scored were ranked “A.” Eleven Texas Health Resources system hospitals made the top grade, including Texas Health HEB.

“We are thrilled that all of our caregivers’ efforts to continually improve the quality and safety of care we provide have been recognized by The Leapfrog Group,” said Susann Land, M.D., chief medical officer of Texas Health HEB. “Every employee and physician at Texas Health HEB can be proud of how they contributed to this score and to improving the experience of each patient.”

Developed under the guidance of Leapfrog’s Blue Ribbon Expert Panel, the Hospital Safety Score uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single A, B, C, D, or F score, representing a hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe from preventable harm, according to The Leapfrog Group.

Individual hospital scores can be viewed at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org.

“These rankings represent our commitment to making patient safety and quality improvement top priorities,” said Daniel Varga, M.D., senior executive vice president and chief clinical officer of Texas Health. “We’re pleased to be recognized on a national level for our efforts.”

A national advocate for transparency and accountability in health care safety and quality, Texas Health last year published its “Quality and Safety Report to the Community: A Transparent Report Card from Texas Health Resources.” Texas Health was the first health system in Texas, and one of only a few in the U.S., that is publicly posting quality, safety and patient satisfaction data, including HCAHPS scores. The Texas Health scorecards are based on independent, nationally recognized clinical indicators. Go to www.TexasHealth.org/Quality-Reports to view the report.

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About Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford
Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford is a 304-bed, acute-care facility serving Northeast Tarrant County since 1973. The hospital’s services include women’s services, a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, a dedicated oncology unit, comprehensive cardiac services (including cardiac rehabilitation), and behavioral health services through Texas Health Springwood Hospital. Texas Health HEB recently received Level III Trauma Center designation as well as dual accreditation as a Cycle IV Chest Pain Center and Heart Failure Center. The hospital also is accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, certified as a Primary Stroke Center and designated as a "Baby Friendly" facility by WHO and UNICEF.Texas Health HEB is an affiliate of the faith-based, nonprofit Texas Health Resources system. For more information, call 1-877-THR-WELL, or visit TexasHealth.org/HEB.

Texas Health HEB Recognized for Patient Safety
in National Performance Project

One of only five hospitals recognized nationally
 

BEDFORD, TEXAS, Aug. 11, 2015 – Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford is one of only five health care facilities nationwide honored with the 2015 Premier AEIX Risk Management Award for creating practices to promote patient safety and enhance the quality of care.

The award was presented by the Premier national health care alliance for Texas Health HEB’s project to standardize the process for collecting blood samples and reduce blood culture contamination in the hospital’s emergency department.  The project has resulted in reduced collection of unnecessary samples and a blood culture contamination rate well below the national average.

“At Texas Health HEB we are focused each day on reducing risk and improving care quality to achieve better outcomes,” said Deborah Paganelli, hospital president. “This award recognizes our efforts to continually create innovative ways to enhance care delivery and share those best practices with other providers.”

The project was a team effort between Texas Health HEB’s medical laboratory and emergency department. The team identified areas for improvement in blood sample collection, implemented changes and studied the modifications over time to determine effectiveness.

Changes successfully implemented included staffing a lab phlebotomist in the emergency department to perform blood culture collection and assist with difficult blood draws. This helps enable nurses to focus on critical care, knowing blood collection is in progress.

The team also changed blood culture draw procedures to eliminate sample collections at the start of intravenous (IV) therapy. This helped result in reduction in the emergency department’s blood culture contamination rate to less than 2 percent during 12 of the past 18 months, compared to the industry standard of 3 percent recognized by microbiology specialists and infectious disease practitioners. The team continues to focus on achieving the 2 percent goal.

The project included teaching staff to explain to patients the importance of a separate “stick” for the blood drawn, in addition to the IV therapy, to help reduce the risks of contamination.           

Other process improvements included reduced collection of unnecessary blood samples and improved staff understanding of the importance of the proper order of blood draw by color-coded tube to help prevent contamination of samples.

Texas Health HEB laboratory director Sharon Harris and emergency department nurse Kerry Miller shared lessons learned from the project at the 2015 Premier Breakthroughs Conference and Exhibition, held June 23-26 in National Harbor, Md.  Texas Health HEB also received the award at the conference, an annual exhibition for the 3,400 leading health systems and hospitals that comprise the Premier alliance. 

“It’s gratifying that our project to reduce blood culture contamination in the emergency department not only benefits our patients and staff members, but also health care organizations nationwide through the Premier alliance,” said Harris.

Along with Texas Health HEB, Texas Health Harris Methodist Alliance and Texas Health Harris Methodist Southwest Fort Worth were among the five hospitals nationwide to receive the 2015 Premier AEIX Risk Management Award.

American Heart Association Recognizes Texas Health HEB
for Treatment of Heart Attack Patients

BEDFORD, TEXAS, June 30, 2015 – Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford has earned the Mission: Lifeline^® Gold Plus Receiving Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association for the treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks.

Each year in the U.S., approximately 250,000 people have a STEMI, or ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, caused by blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires time-sensitive treatment. To prevent loss of life, it’s critical to immediately restore blood flow, either by surgically opening the blocked vessel or by giving clot-busting medication.

Texas Health HEB earned the award by meeting rigorous criteria for two consecutive years. The “Plus” designation is used to differentiate those facilities where at least 75 percent of STEMI patients were transferred to them for primary percutaneous intervention (PCI) in 120 minutes or less. When it can be performed in a timely fashion, Primary PCI is the American Heart Association’s recommended triage strategy for STEMI patients.

“At Texas Health HEB, we are dedicated to improving the quality of care for our patients who suffer a heart attack, and the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program is helping us accomplish that goal through internationally respected clinical guidelines,” said Susann Land, M.D., hospital chief medical officer. “We are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements in cardiac care, and I am very proud of our team.”

The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program helps hospitals, emergency medical services and communities improve response times so people who suffer from a STEMI receive prompt, appropriate treatment. The program’s goal is to streamline systems of care to quickly get heart attack patients from the first 9-1-1 call to hospital treatment.

Along with Texas Health HEB, Texas Health Resources hospitals in Arlington, Dallas and Fort Worth earned recognition.

The hospitals were recognized for meeting specific criteria and standards of performance for the quick and appropriate treatment of STEMI patients to open the blocked artery. Before patients are discharged, they are started on aggressive risk reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, aspirin, ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers, and they receive smoking cessation counseling if needed.

“This recognition speaks to the quality care we deliver and represents our commitment to improving the well-being of our patients who suffer from a severe heart attack,” said Barclay Berdan, FACHE, CEO of Texas Health Resources.

Texas Health Resources and the physicians on the medical staff, working through the systemwide Heart & Vascular Council, share a vision of making North Texas the vanguard of quality heart care for the state.  Composed of cardiac care specialists and Texas Health administrators, the Council works so that all patients in the system’s service area will receive the same quality care, regardless of their location. 

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About Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford
Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford is a 304-bed, acute-care facility serving Northeast Tarrant County since 1973. The hospital’s services include women’s services, a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, a dedicated oncology unit, comprehensive cardiac services (including cardiac rehabilitation), and behavioral health services through Texas Health Springwood Hospital. Texas Health HEB recently received Level III Trauma Center designation as well as dual accreditation as a Cycle IV Chest Pain Center and Heart Failure Center. The hospital also is accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, certified as a Primary Stroke Center and designated as a "Baby Friendly" facility by WHO and UNICEF.Texas Health HEB is an affiliate of the faith-based, nonprofit Texas Health Resources system. For more information, call 1-877-THR-WELL, or visit TexasHealth.org/HEB.

Texas Health HEB to offer Safe Sitter^® Program

Two sessions of two-day class will be offered in June

BEDFORD, TEXAS, May 1, 2015 – While a comprehensive training manual has yet to be invented for parents, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford is offering a practical class for young people (ages 11-14) who are interested in babysitting to earn extra money.

Texas Health HEB is offering two sessions of the two-day, internationally recognized Safe Sitter^® classes on June 11-12 and June 29-30 to teach adolescent babysitters how to handle a crisis, keep their charges secure, perform CPR and care for a choking child, prevent and manage problem behavior, and other child care essentials.

Safe Sitter is a national, nonprofit organization that provides programs to teach youth life and safety skills for when they are babysitting, home alone or watching younger siblings. More than175 lives have been saved by Safe Sitter graduates using their skills, according to the organization.  

Samantha Moriak of Bedford took the class two years ago to understand what is involved in babysitting. She credits Safe Sitter with building her confidence and helping her understand the best ages for her to babysit.

“The class helped me know what to do in certain situations,” Samantha said. “It gave me the knowledge to get started in babysitting.”

Samantha’s mother Maureen said she would recommend the class to parents and potential babysitters, saying, “The class was very thorough and helped Samantha realize how serious a job that babysitting is.”  

Participants ages 11 to 14 will be taught by Safe Sitter instructors on June 11-12 and June 29-30. Classes run from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Classes will be taught at the Siratt Women’s Center classroom at Texas Health HEB, located at 1600 Hospital Parkway in Bedford. There is a $75 cost to cover the materials and classes are limited to 12 students.

“Babysitting is a huge responsibility,” said Carol Speed, certified Safe Sitter instructor and community health educator at Texas Health HEB. “This course helps the babysitters understand what is involved and how to handle most situations, and parents can feel confident that their babysitter has received proper training.”

To register, call 1-877-THR-WELL (1-877-847-9355). Registration is also online at  www.TexasHealth.org/HEB (click on Classes and Events Calendar).

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About Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford
Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford is a 304-bed, acute-care facility serving Northeast Tarrant County since 1973. The hospital’s services include women’s services, a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, a dedicated oncology unit, comprehensive cardiac services (including cardiac rehabilitation), and behavioral health services through Texas Health Springwood Hospital. Texas Health HEB recently received Level III Trauma Center designation as well as dual accreditation as a Cycle IV Chest Pain Center and Heart Failure Center. The hospital also is accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, certified as a Primary Stroke Center and designated as a "Baby Friendly" facility by WHO and UNICEF.Texas Health HEB is an affiliate of the faith-based, nonprofit Texas Health Resources system. For more information, call 1-877-THR-WELL, or visit TexasHealth.org/HEB.

Texas Health HEB Names New Chief Nursing Officer

BEDFORD, TEXAS, April 8, 2015 – Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford has named Debra K. Grant, M.B.A., B.S.N., R.N., NEA-BC, as its chief nursing officer effective March 30. A dedicated health care executive with 24 years of acute care experience, Grant most recently served as chief nursing officer for Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center in California since 2009. Prior to this, she was the associate director of nursing at Stanford University Hospital and Clinics in Palo Alto, Calif.         

As chief nursing officer, Grant oversees the strategic, operational, clinical and financial performance of the hospital’s nursing services. She shares hospital leadership responsibilities with President Deborah Paganelli and Chief Medical Officer Susann Land, M.D.

“Debra is a wonderful addition to the leadership team at Texas Health HEB,” said Land. “She brings a wealth of nursing and leadership experience to her role.”

Grant’s experience includes significantly improving quality of care,  increasing patient satisfaction scores, achieving Magnet status, using Lean and Six Sigma, reducing utilization costs, achieving organizational savings, engaging the staff and advancing efforts to become a highly reliable organization. She was awarded the 2014 Avatar Gold Innovation Award for best practices in improving patient satisfaction and the 2013 Nurse.com GEM (Giving Excellence Meaning) runner-up award for advancing and leading the profession.

“Debra is a proven leader with a rich background of clinical experience, both at the bedside and as a nurse executive,” said Joan S. Clark, D.N.P., R.N., NEA-BC, CENP, FACHE, FAAN, senior vice president and chief nursing executive of Texas Health Resources. “Nurses are the compassionate face of caregiving at Texas Health, and Debra will serve as a great role model and leader for the nurses at Texas Health HEB.”

Grant started her nursing career as a Care Flight paramedic in 1987 at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth, where she also served as an emergency charge nurse, strategic management data analyst and house supervisor. In 1997, she transferred to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano, where she served as director of Emergency Services and director of Nursing before moving to California in 2003.

She obtained her Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington and a master’s degree in business administration from LeTourneau University in Dallas.