New program honors BAMC units for exceptional patient care

By Elaine Sanchez, Brooke Army Medical Center Public AffairsMarch 31, 2015

Commander's Award
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (From left) Col. Kevin Moore, chief, Department of Family and Community Medicine at Brooke Army Medical Center; Command Sgt. Maj. Tabitha Gavia, and BAMC Commander Col. Evan Renz present the Commander's Award trophy to Col. Carol Rymer (holding troph... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Commander's Award
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas -- Two Brooke Army Medical Center units were recognized for their positive impact on patient safety, experience and satisfaction at a Command and Staff meeting March 17.

BAMC Commander Col. Evan Renz presented the Optometry Service and the 3W inpatient ward with 3-foot-tall Commander's Award trophies to honor their stand-out dedication to safe, quality care during the first quarter of fiscal 2015. The units are the first to be honored through this new BAMC recognition program.

"CSM Gavia and I are proud of both of these teams for their tremendous commitment to excellence in patient care," the commander said.

The quarterly Commander's Award program recognizes the outpatient clinic with the most outstanding patient experience and service, and the inpatient ward with most improved or impacted patient safety, said Maj. Jason Smith, chief, Clinical Operations Division. The program was inspired by BAMC's High Reliability Organization journey, which focuses on delivering the safest, highest quality care with an aim of zero preventable harm.

BAMC's 3W team stood out for reporting 162 "Good Catch Events" over the past year, with 63 in the last quarter. Good catches -- recognizing potential medical errors quickly -- can have a direct and potentially far-reaching impact on patient safety, explained Lt. Col. Van McCoy, 3W clinical nurse officer in charge. "I frequently tell my team, 'I want you to treat all of the patients here on 3W with the same care and respect you would give to a beloved family member.'

"Ward 3W nursing staff live by the mantra issued to us from Col. Vivian C. Harris (chief, Medical Nursing Services) that 'Patients are our No. 1 Priority,'" he added.

"Patient safety is a team effort, and all team members provide great contributions and focus in order to keep our patients safe," added Robin Francis, assistant CNOIC for 3W.

The Department of Community and Family Medicine's Optometry team, which includes McWethy Troop Medical Clinic and the Fort Sam Houston Clinic, was honored, in part, for receiving more than 200 Army Provider Level Satisfaction Surveys with a perfect 100 percent rating in the area of Overall Visit Satisfaction three months in a row, noted Col. Carol Rymer, BAMC's optometry chief.

"We are all humbled and grateful for this appreciation," Rymer said. "This can only be accomplished by the dedication of a team -- from the very first encounter a patient experiences on the phone or online, to the front desk staff assisting in the check-in process of a patient, to the compassionate, quality care of patients by our technicians, doctors and ancillary services. It truly is a consolidated organizational effort every step of the way."

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