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December 24, 2009
by Srav Meka
Hospital News
Barrow Regional Medical Center celebrates successful 2009, looks forward to 2010
2009 has been a banner year for Barrow Regional
Medical Center
highlighted by significant achievements in quality, growth, new services, and a
continued commitment to the community. “Three years ago, BRMC set a vision to
be the healthcare provider of choice as we continued to meet the medical needs
of our community by expanding our scope of services and providing the highest
quality of care. In 2009, we have seen significant progress towards that
vision” said BRMC Chief Executive Officer, Blake Watts.
In December 2009, the Georgia Hospital Association recognized
BRMC as one of only twelve hospitals throughout the state to earn the
Chairman’s Honor Roll, the highest category in quality. In order to achieve
this honor, BRMC achieved high marks on Core Measure guidelines, a set of 26 quality
indicators in four key areas - Heart Failure, Heart Attack, Pneumonia, and
Surgical Infection Prevention. These categories are compared to other hospitals
nationally, and GHA’s data puts BRMC at 98-100% for appropriate care measures,
or in the top 2 % of hospitals throughout the state.
In 2009, BRMC earned the Gold Seal from the main accrediting
body for hospitals, The Joint Commission. The hospital’s laboratory was also re-accredited
by the College of
American Pathologists
earlier this year, and the Mammography Unit continues to obtain high marks from
MQSA (Mammography Quality Standards Act) surveys.
“Our achievements in the areas of quality and safety demonstrate
that this is a priority for the nurses, clinical staff, and medical staff at
BRMC. To achieve these results it is truly a team effort” commented BRMC Chief
Nursing Officer, Linda Easterly.
2009 was also a year of growth for BRMC. The hospital
experienced substantial growth in admissions, outpatient procedures, and
surgeries. This growth has led to the creation of new jobs, the completion of
facility improvements, added new services, and has brought additional physicians
to the community in 2009. BRMC increased its workforce by approximately 6% in 2009
to meet the growth the facility is experiencing.
Upgraded facilities and
equipment in 2009 included a remodeled Outpatient Services Area and a remodeled
Emergency Department.
The Outpatient Services Area, updated in the spring of 2009,
provides comfortable and spacious seating, Starbucks coffee service and a
helpful receptionist available for patients and families while they wait for
their procedures. The Emergency Department was renovated in the fall on 2009
providing a more comfortable environment and improved patient flow. New
monitoring equipment was added to the ER aiding in faster evaluation of cardiac
symptoms. The renovation also improved patient flow, increased the amount of
space available to patients coming into the Emergency Department, and reduced
the already low wait times.
BRMC made significant capital investments in 2009 including
a new PACs (Picture Archiving Communication System) system installed in August,
allowing all hospital Radiology images to be viewed by physicians in a digital
format, thus eliminating the need for hard copy films. The hospital began
providing Speech & Occupational Therapy on a full-time basis in 2009 as
well as purchased new, state-of-the art ventilators, expanded its telemetry
capabilities, and implemented a new YAG laser service for Ophthalmologic
procedures. The hospital also invested in a new digital Mammography unit along
with stereotactic breast biopsy equipment that will be unveiled in 2010 as part
of a new Women’s Pavilion in January 2010.
BRMC also continues to expand healthcare options for the
growing population by offering more specialties that were previously
unavailable in Barrow
County including
Cardiology, Gastroenterology and Urology. BRMC was involved in the recruitment
of the following physician specialties that were added to the community in
2009:
• 2 Pediatricians
• 1 Hospitalist
• 1 Integrative Medicine
physician
• 1 Internal Medicine
physician
• 1 Family Medicine
physician
The medical staff at BRMC took a progressive approach in
2009 to become a teaching facility. Medical students from the Philadelphia
College of Osteopathic Medicine-Gwinnett County (PCOM) now complete clinical
rotations at the hospital with a supervising physician. The medical students
complete Grand Rounds presentations as part of their training allowing BRMC physicians
to interact and educate the students. BRMC also supported over a dozen other local
schools in the region in 2009. Some of these rotating students have been hired
on as employees after completing their education.
In 2009, BRMC continued to serve as a community hospital
supporting local charities, sponsoring events and activities in Barrow County
and providing financial support. BRMC partnered and was involved with
activities with the Barrow County Sheriff’s Department, local schools, Family
Connection, March of Dimes, Relay for Life, Snodon Village, Tailgate Barrow,
The Tree House, Winder-Barrow Adult Continuing Education, and YMCA of Georgia’s
Piedmont in Bethlehem and Winder.
BRMC was a presenting sponsor for the Barrow Chamber Annual
Dinner and the inaugural Barrow Woman of the Year Luncheon, and a gold sponsor
for the Barrow Chamber Expo.
Thousands of dollars of hospital supplies and
materials were also given to a number of local charities and organizations such
as The Georgia Club, New Hope AME Church, Living Word Worship Center,
various classrooms within the Barrow County School System and Camp Will-A-Way
at Fort Yargo. The hospital also joined in Fall
Festivals in Winder, Statham, Auburn, Bethlehem, and Hoschton. BRMC
is committed to improving the health of Barrow County
residents and employees. The hospital is an active participant in area health
fairs, providing free health screenings at Beans, Bears & Bandaids, Chamber
Expo and for employees at The Peoples Bank and Akins Ford, as well as First Aid
Tents at the Tree House’s Turtle Trot and First United
Methodist Church’s
FaithFest 5k. Barrow Regional partnered with the YMCA to sponsor and administer
Team Lean, an area weight management program that provided cash prizes to the
top teams and individual winners. In all, BRMC provided over 1,000 free health
screenings for local residents in 2009.
A new web site – www.barrowregional.com – was also developed
in 2009 that allows for more patient-friendly features, including online
registration and online bill pay, a clean look, and easier navigation of the
site.
BRMC has many exciting plans for 2010. The community can
expect more services including a Women’s Center that will include digital
mammography, stereotactic breast biopsy, ultrasound and bone density exams. The
center will provide a spa-like ambience with a comforting atmosphere for women
who will undergo these procedures. New surgical and medical equipment as well
as additional facility improvements to areas like Labor & Delivery are also
on tap for 2010. Additions to the medical staff will include physicians
specializing in ENT, Gastroenterology, Geriatrics, Pulmonology and Urology
bringing their dedicated services to the community.
“I am inspired by the
dedicated physicians, nurses and staff at BRMC and the quality care we are
providing. I am proud of our accomplishments in 2009, and I am very excited
about 2010” said BRMC Chief Executive Officer, Blake Watts.
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