FORT GORDON, Ga. -- The Eisenhower Army Medical Center (EAMC) ranks in the top ten percent of the Nation in patient safety according to recent data by the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP).
NSQIP is oversaw by the American College of Surgeons and was started in 2007. It is an independent quality assurance program that collects over 202 data points from hospitals across the country and reports to the participating hospitals twice a year to tell them how they are doing.
EAMC has participated since 2009, and NSQIP allows leaders to see how they are doing as well as, how EAMC compares to other hospitals in the country.
Col James Frizzi, Chief of surgery for EAMC, explains that, "patients want to know if their hospital is good, if they are admitted, will they be ok. They worry about the possibility of infections or complications. Hospitals used to put out in the media that they were safe, but no one really checked that. Well, the American College of Surgeons checks that as an independent entity."
"They can compare over 500 hospitals to see what is going on, what should be going on, and if a hospital is truly doing well. They act as a neutral, third party verification of whether your hospital is truly safe or do they have some work to do."
Much of the NSQIP report focuses on deaths, infections, proper procedures, falls, and returns for surgery to provide a picture of safety and quality at each facility. Data points are adjusted for the size of the facility and the services offered so a facility that doesn't have a particular service won't be penalized.
"Eisenhower does very well," according to Frizzi who says, "Its not all about the metrics, we don't do this to beat other facilities, we are doing it for our patients."
He states that in the Department of Defense and the Augusta area, EAMC is one of three facilities that voluntarily participates and does very well in the top ten percent.
"We rank not only in the top ten percent against the Army but against institutions like John Hopkins, Boston University, and the University of Pittsburg. We do as good as and in some cases better than these hospitals."
Frizzi states that EAMC's scores are great because of the people at the medical center.
"They know the rules, they follow them, and we try to guarantee that safety is always a focus for our patients and ourselves. If the scores drop in any category, it gives the Surgical department something to reevaluate and use to improve because average isn't good enough for Eisenhower."
Additionally the NSQIP rankings allow hospitals to identify stronger performing facilities and EAMC is working to share best practices and procedures with other participating hospitals to improve patient safety for everyone.
The DoD is moving to have all DoD medical treatment facilities to participating in NSQIP in the future so that there is a third party monitoring our safety outcomes for our Service Members.
"I want our patients to know that [EAMC] is measured by a neutral third party agency like the American College of Surgeons and is not only judged to be good but excellent compared to other hospitals in the country. I hope that makes them feel good about coming here."
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