OMH earns nation­al award for patient safe­ty excellence

By Jim Goss

For a national leader in patient safety, look no further. Onslow Memorial Hospital is in the top five percent of hospitals in the nation recognized for hospital excellence in safeguarding patients during their hospital stay. In addition, OMH is the only hospital in North Carolina’s Coastal region to receive Healthgrades® 2019 Patient Safety Excellence Award™.

Healthgrades is the leading online resource for information about hospitals and physicians. In September, the company formally presented the award at the Onslow County Hospital Authority Board meeting.

Associate Director of Quality Solutions for Healthgrades Kara Hand told Board members her company assesses over 4,500 acute-care hospitals across the country every year, and that none may “opt out” of a rating by Healthgrades.

“The data shows Onslow Memorial Hospital is committed to providing the best possible care for every patient, and Healthgrades applauds you for it,” Hand said.

OMH President & CEO Penney Burlingame Deal, DHA, RN, FACHE called the award the result of a team effort.

“Thanks to employees, medical staff, OMH Leadership and Board members for their dedication to providing excellent care for our patients,” Burlingame Deal said. “This award from Healthgrades is an incredible achievement.”

Over the last six years OMH has earned several awards, certifications and other recognition for many of its high-quality services. The hospital treats more than 80,000 patients per year and this Patient Safety Excellence Award™ recognizes the commitment to patients for preventing the occurrence of serious potentially avoidable complications during their hospital stay.

Healthgrades found that 127,667 patient safety events could have been avoided, if all hospitals in the country performed at the level of award recipients. During the study period, award recipient hospitals demonstrated excellent performance in safety provided for patients in the Medicare population as measured by objectives outcomes for 14 Patient Safety Indicators defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Read more about Healthgrades’ patient safety methodology here.