RELEASE DATE: March 17, 2014
Contact: Bridgette Olson, Outreach Program Manager
303-832-7493 or bo@coruralhealth.org
Prowers Medical Center Nominated as Featured Member of the Colorado Rural Health Center
Prowers Medical Center is a great example of a rural hospital taking positive steps to implement performance improvement programs, provide for patient safety initiatives, and meet the needs of their communities.
Denver, CO—Prowers Medical Center, a Critical Access Hospital in Lamar, CO, is owned and operated by the Prowers County Hospital District and governed by a board of directors elected by the citizens who reside in the district (Prowers and Baca Counties).
Many organizations recognize excellence in healthcare in the form of awards, accreditation, or designations of excellence. CRHC began recognizing a featured member of the month in early 2013 to shed light upon the excellent healthcare delivery in rural Colorado by its membership.
“Our membership includes nearly 200 hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities serving rural Colorado,” said Melissa Bosworth, director of workforce and outreach. “We wanted to create a method to showcase the innovation and success stories that continues to impact the quality of healthcare delivery in these communities.”
Prowers Medical Center has been a CRHC member for more than a decade and participates in a variety of quality improvement programs and educational activities.
The hospital is currently involved with a rigorous program to reduce avoidable readmission rates and improve communications in transitions of care. Tackling this issue is an opportunity to improve quality and reduce costs.
The hospital is also involved with the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program, a statewide collaborative project that provides an opportunity for rural hospitals to enhance billing and reimbursement, improve HIPAA compliance, decrease medical errors, support adoption of health information technology, and improve the quality of care provided to rural communities.
“We’re thrilled that this distinction was given to Prowers Medical Center,” said Courtnay Ryan, quality improvement specialist.
Ryan works extensively with the hospital’s two affiliated rural health clinics; the Lamar Medical Clinic and the Las Animas Family Practice. “This recognition reinforces that the hospital and clinics are focused on delivering the highest quality of care to meet the needs of the people they serve.”
The clinics themselves are highly engaged with activities and programs offered at CRHC. Specifically, they are involved with the Healthy Clinic Improvement Program, a project focusing on creating a seamless patient encounter through the improvement of basic business operations and workflow processes. “The goal is for clinics to establish a strong foundation of normal business operations in order to prepare them to take on more robust quality improvement initiatives,” said Ryan.
The clinics are also involved with activities to assist the hospital in reducing readmission rates. The focus and goals for the clinics is around chronic disease management, specifically diabetes. The project aligns with national trends and funding priorities demonstrating sustainable improvements and outcomes.
Prowers Medical Center has a long history within the community, beginning as early as 1928 when the Charles Maxwell Hospital was built. Almost twenty year later the Dominican Sisters of the Immaculate Conception purchased the hospital, which was renamed Sacred Heart Hospital, until 1968 when the Prowers County Hospital District was formed.
It wasn’t until 1978 that the current hospital was moved and rebuilt at its current location. To learn more about Prowers Medical Center visit their website at www.prowersmedical.com/.
The Colorado Rural Health Center is proud to recognize Prowers Medical Center as this month’s featured member of the month. The hospital is also recognized nationally by iVantage Health as a 2013 HealthStrongTM Award winner for Excellence in Efficiency.
About The Colorado Rural Health Center
The Colorado Rural Health Center was established in 1991 as Colorado's State Office of Rural Health. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, CRHC's serves dual roles as the State Office of Rural Health with the mission of assisting rural communities in addressing healthcare issues; and as the State Rural Health Association, advocating for policy change to ensure that rural Coloradoans have access to comprehensive, affordable healthcare services of the highest quality. For more information visit www.coruralhealth.org, call 303-832-7493, or call toll free 800-851-6782 from rural Colorado.
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