Upper Peninsula Health Systems-Bell Board of Directors Chair EJ Kostreva, CEO Mitch Leckelt, and board members Kevin McIlhany, Justin Farley and Scott Manninen at the Lifepoint National Quality Program staff celebration on Sept. 13. (Courtesy photo)
ISHPEMING — U.P. Health Systems-Bell has been named a Lifepoint Health National Quality Leader.
UPHS-Bell leaders, staff members, and board members gathered for an internal celebration on Sept. 13 to celebrate the designation.
The Lifepoint National Quality Program recognizes hospitals within the system that have gone above and beyond the expectations of quality medical care, performance improvement, patient engagement and transformative safety culture.
NQP works with hospitals enrolled in the program to evaluate and strengthen the quality of programs and processes by conducting an initial evaluation and creating a plan to employ changes that aim for quality improvement benchmarks and sustainable, long-term solutions.
“This is a wonderful accomplishment that is the result of the hard work of every member of our team,” said Mitch Leckelt, UPHS-Bell chief executive officer, in a news release. “Quality care has always been a top priority at UPHS-Bell. When we enrolled in the Lifepoint NQP, we began a journey to evaluate not just how we provide care, but how we shape the experiences that our patients have here so that we can ensure the best results possible. Working alongside the quality team at Lifepoint, we have learned so much and strengthened our ability to make our community healthier.”
The NQP also focuses on elements that establish the foundation for sustainable quality care, including committed leadership, systems to ensure continuous performance, and process improvement, and safety culture. In addition to continual evaluation of care quality and patient safety metrics, these standards help NQP determine which hospitals have met criteria in these areas that allow for continual demonstration, measurement, and improvement of care quality and patient safety.
UPHS-Bell, a 25-bed critical access facility, has been offering inpatient, outpatient and post-acute care in the Upper Peninsula for more than 100 years. A few major changes reported through participation in the NQP include the addition of a patient representative at regular quality meetings for productive, real-time community feedback; the implementation of bedside shift reports to drive patient-centered care; and daily visits from hospital leadership to improve patient experiences.
Positive outcomes that have come out of these efforts include a significant reduction in patient HARMS; increased transparency of quality measures throughout the organization; improved communication between patients, families and the interdisciplinary team; and a stronger emphasis on patient participation in their care plans.
“We’re really proud of our staff and all the hard work they’ve put in to achieve these positive outcomes,” said senior nursing officer June Hanson. “This is a significant milestone, but our work doesn’t end here — we’re looking forward to constantly expanding and refining how we approach quality from every angle.”
For more information about UPHS-Bell, call 906-486-4431 or visit its website at uphealthsystem.com/bell.
UPHS-Bell is located at 901 Lakeshore Drive in Ishpeming.
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