Fauquier Health Receives John M. Eisenberg Award for Patient Safety

LifePoint Health® (NASDAQ: LPNT), of which Fauquier Hospital is a part, has been named the recipient of the 2017 John M. Eisenberg Award for Innovation in Patient Safety at the Local Level. Presented annually by The Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum (NQF), the prestigious Eisenberg Awards acknowledge major achievements in healthcare quality and patient safety.

The first investor-owned health system to earn an Eisenberg Award, LifePoint is being recognized for its National Quality Program, a structured process for ensuring consistent, high standards of quality and patient safety. Created in partnership with Duke University Health System, this program has led to significant enhancements across the LifePoint network, including a more than 60 percent improvement in aggregate patient safety. Fauquier Hospital is enrolled and actively participating in this program.

The LifePoint National Quality Program is a data-driven program rooted in patient-centered care. The program is focused on leadership that empowers people, proven systems of performance improvement, and a culture of safety.

This initiative has helped create a highly reliable culture of safety and drive enhancements across the LifePoint system, including a 62 percent improvement in aggregate patient safety compared to the company’s 2010 baseline. LifePoint has also achieved 12 months of zero central-line infections at 73 percent of its hospitals.

Additionally, from 2010 to 2017, hospital-acquired infections at LifePoint hospitals’ decreased by 78 percent for urinary tract infections, 58 percent for sepsis infection, and 73 percent for pneumonia.

“We are so proud to be part of an organization like LifePoint that is deeply committed to providing high quality care and ensuring the safety of all patients,” said Chad Melton, chief executive officer of Fauquier Hospital. “Through the National Quality Program, our team has worked closely with Duke and LifePoint quality coaches to further strengthen our culture of safety, continuously work to improve care and enhance the patient experience for those we serve.”

“The LifePoint National Quality Program has established at the hospital and system level an ongoing, measurable approach to driving sustainable improvements in patient safety, quality and patient experience,” said Rusty Holman, M.D., chief medical officer for LifePoint Health.

He added, “Because of the diverse hospitals within the LifePoint system, this program offers many lessons for how healthcare facilities of all types and sizes serving a variety of patient populations can operationalize quality, create a national learning laboratory, and engineer a sustainable culture of safety.” 

The Eisenberg Awards, launched in 2002, honor the late John M. Eisenberg, M.D., MBA, former administrator of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Each year, Eisenberg Awards honor those making strides in innovating patient safety and quality at the individual level, local level and national level. The John M. Eisenberg Awards were presented at NQF’s annual conference in Washington, DC, on March 12, and will be featured in the July 2018 issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety.

For more information, please visit http://www.lifepointhealth.net/news.

Some Fauquier Health Offices Will be Closed Wednesday, March 21

Fauquier Health medical offices and some non-essential departments will be closed on Wednesday, March 21. Those with appointments will be notified.

These off-site entities will be closed:

• Fauquier Health Sleep Center
• Fauquier Health Wellness Center
• Fauquier Health Wound Healing Center
• Fauquier Health Physical Medicine and Rehab (in Warrenton and in Lake Manassas)
• Fauquier Health Medical Imaging in the Warrenton Professional Building

These physician offices will be closed:

• Fauquier Health Family Practice at Bealeton
• Fauquier Health Hematology/Oncology
• Fauquier Health Infectious Disease
• Fauquier Health Neurology
• Fauquier Health OB/GYN
• Piedmont Internal Medicine
• Fauquier Health Rheumatology
• Fauquier Health Urology

Of course, the Emergency Department will be open 24/7; surgical services, medical imaging and outpatient special procedures will be open as well. If you have an appointment, you can call 540-316-5000 to be connected with the right department, to confirm before you come.

Lecture Canceled Due to Weather

Dr. Ash Diwan's lecture on Chronic Pain and the Opioid Addiction Crisis -- scheduled for Wednesday, March 21 at 7 p.m. at Fauquier Hospital -- has been canceled because of potentially difficult weather conditions.

Anyone with questions may call 540-316-3588.

Go Further with Food

Get the most out of what you’re eating and reduce food waste

“You are what you eat.” We’ve all heard it, but there really is a kernel of truth there. Eating healthy can help us be healthy. There’s never a bad time to talk about healthy eating, but March is an especially good opportunity because it’s National Nutrition Month® – a time to focus on making smart food choices, establishing healthy eating habits and ensuring that we are doing what we can to reduce food waste. Did you know that it’s estimated that an average 300 pounds of food per person is thrown away each year? This year’s theme from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is “Go Further with Food” – a reminder for all of us to get the most out of what we eat while wasting the least. Here are a few simple ways you can help make your food go further.

Switch it up
They say variety is the spice of life. It’s also a key building block of healthy eating. Different foods provide different nutrients. Incorporating a variety of foods from all of the food groups into your daily diet helps ensure that your body is getting the most nutrients possible. Healthy salads and well-balanced meals are a great way to keep variety at the center.

Be thoughtful
Before you visit the grocery store, take inventory of your pantry, fridge and freezer. Check expiration dates and “best used by” dates to see what you need to consume first before buying more, and research healthy recipes that use these items. Then, fill out your grocery list with what you really need for the week.

Prepare ahead
Healthy eating is a lot easier than you might think, especially with a little preparation. Pick a morning or afternoon and prepare your healthy lunches for the week ahead. A few hours one afternoon can save you a lot of time throughout the week and keep you accountable to healthy eating habits.

Get creative
Make your food work for you. Be creative and look for ways to repurpose leftovers into brand new meals. Turn those last couple of chicken breasts and leftover roasted vegetables into a cozy stew, or mix your leftover pasta with some fresh veggies for a pasta salad for lunch the next day. You’ll be stretching your food dollar without stretching your waistline!

Ask for advice
Talk with a local nutritionist or dietitian about making your food go further. They’ll have some great ideas for healthy eating habits and choices that both fit your individual lifestyle and help cut down on food waste.

If you’d like more information on how you can help your food go further, visit www.eatright.org, or call 540-316-2640 to schedule an appointment with a Fauquier Health Wellness Center dietitian.