Quick Poll

Have you ever served on a jury?

Recent Polls

Blogs

Angela McRae

Tea with friends

Deberah Williams

Everyday Finesse

Lorrie Lynch

Who's News

Published Sunday, February 12, 2012 in Local

Special

The ultimate goal of Piedmont Newnan Hospital’s Advanced Care Unit is to bring the specialized care needed directly to the patient in the same room, rather than having to move the patient to an area that provides a specialized type of care. The room shown here is a prototype, but shows many of the features that will be included in the new hospital’s rooms.

A New Piedmont Newnan: 'Advanced Care' to bring technology to patients

By Alex McRae

The Newnan Times-Herald

The dramatic exterior and welcoming interior amenities of the new Piedmont Newnan Hospital are sure to catch the eye of anyone who passes by or enters the new facility under construction on Poplar Road.

But where hospitals are concerned, any patient will tell you that beauty is only skin deep.

It's the care that counts. And Piedmont Newnan Hospital is committed to delivering the best health care possible with a new system of patient care that teams technology and care providers in a way that maximizes treatment options in the most efficient manner possible.

Officials at PNH call it the "Advanced Care Unit." But this treatment system is not a specific hospital location.

PNH Chief Medical Officer Jeff Folk, M.D., coined the term "Advanced Care Unit." Folk says it is actually a continuum of customized care that will be provided to both critically ill and intermediately ill patients who were formerly treated in separate Intensive Care and Progressive Care Units.

The innovative concept will allow providers and technology to adjust services based on acuity -- or severity of condition -- without having to transfer the patient to another unit.

The ultimate goal is to bring the specialized care directly to the patient in the same room, rather than having to move the patient to an area which provides a specialized type of care.

Allowing a patient to receive care in the same setting creates greater efficiency for the care providers and a safer experience for the patient. The system results in a more convenient experience for the patient and family members.

"Because of the advanced technology capabilities we will have in our new hospital, we will be able to provide enhanced care that we have not been able to provide in our current facility," said Dr. Folk. "Patients that, heretofore, had to leave our community for advanced care will now be able to receive that level of care close to home, at the new Piedmont Newnan Hospital."

* * *

New Levels" of care at PNH

Different levels of care will be offered on different floors of the hospital.

Floors 5 and 6 are designed with the same telemetry monitoring capabilities to monitor pulse oximetry, carbon dioxide levels and pressures of central lines. Intubation/ ventilation, medicines and other necessary materials are available on both floors.

"Unstable" patients will be cared for in this unit, with appropriate technology and specialized care delivered to the patient without having to move the patient to another floor or unit.

Nursing staff is currently being trained to take care of all levels of critical care. The entire inpatient nursing staff is scheduled to be completely trained by September 2012. Until all nurses are trained, the hospital will staff nurses who are fully-trained in all levels of critical care on these floors.

Training involves recognizing abnormal heart rhythms and knowledge of technology and medications used to support complex patient conditions, including ventilation management.

Floors 7 and 8 will serve as traditional "medical" and "surgical" patient floors, providing specialized care for non-critically ill patients who have conditions requiring inpatient care, or who have had surgery requiring follow-up inpatient care.

Patients will be grouped together on these floors according to their medical or surgical-based needs.

The room set-up, technology and supplies available on these floors are standardized to promote efficiency.

The nursing units will also be organized in a consistent fashion to provide an easy transition for care providers when working on different floors.

These floors will have telemetry monitoring capabilities, allowing staff to bring care to the patient rather than transporting the patient to the technology.

The "Advanced Care Unit" concept is not confined to a few floors of the new facility. All inpatient rooms will be equipped with "Staff Flow Terminal" technology, featuring an advanced nurse call system, which will provide a massive amount of resources at the nurses' fingertips.

This technology allows a nurse to call directly from the patient's bedside for assistance from Environmental Services, Patient Transport, or other staff. This system is also adaptable for future process enhancements related to expediting patient care.

The nurse call system also features an escalation process that provides different levels of response, either via nurses' wireless phones, nurses' stations or the hospital's Care Coordination Center. Computers will also be outside of every patient room for care provider use.

Of course, the care is no better than those who deliver it and PNH is going the extra mile to assure that every employee is dedicated to providing clinical and service excellence to every patient, say hospital representatives.

Piedmont Newnan Hospital's focus, both now at the Hospital Road facility and upon moving to Poplar Road, is to provide the highest quality of care to its patients, measuring quality in terms of clinical and service excellence.

For clinicians, ensuring "quality" means measuring clinical outcomes, adhering to best medical practices and ensuring patient safety.

Quality care and patient safety are particularly critical for acute-care hospitals like Piedmont Newnan Hospital. PNH is focused on eliminating serious safety events by utilizing the latest evidence-based guidelines to avoid hospital acquired infections and reduce mortality.

PNH has launched an "AlwaysSafe" program to identify opportunities to improve patient safety and focus on becoming a highly reliable organization. PNH has partnered with Healthcare Performance Improvement (HPI) to educate staff on proven methods for building and sustaining a culture of safety.

The methods being utilized are based on reliability science and best practices from high-reliability organizations like the airline and nuclear power industries.

In November 2011, PNH initiated daily "Safety Huddles" to identify and address any safety concerns from staff. In preparation for the move to Poplar Road, the hospital will identify "safety coaches" who will be specially trained to observe employee work behaviors and provide real-time feedback. This will reinforce good practices and correct unsafe practices.

Hospital representatives suggest that this will be one of the key factors to a safe transition to its new hospital.

"Our goal is to ensure a 'safe' move and provide the safest possible care from day one in our new facility for our patients, families and employees," said Anna Ivory, vice president of Organizational Quality for Piedmont Newnan Hospital. "Our safety coaches will be the 'eyes and ears' for safety during this period of transition."

PNH is also looking at several key quality/safety indicators to measure improvements as it moves into its new environment.

"We know that patients coming to our hospital are frightened and anxious," said JulieAnn Chapman, Piedmont Newnan's Service Excellence manager. "Our goal is to keep patients informed throughout every step of their plans of care in terms they can understand, with courtesy and respect for their feelings.

"The impact of excellent service results in greater communication amongst staff and physicians, improved patient compliance, and ultimately, better outcomes for our patients, which matters most."

Comment On This Story

Times-Herald.com does not necessarily agree with the comments posted below. Responsibility of comments rests solely with the writer. Comments posted in ALL CAPS will be deleted.

Submission of a comment does not guarantee publication. Comments will be posted by a moderator after being scanned for abusive language, relevance, etc. See our Comments FAQ for more details.