Baptist Hospital Wins 2006 VHA Leadership Award For Clinical Excellence

Baptist Health Care is pleased to announce that Baptist Hospital is a winner of the 2006 VHA Leadership Award for Clinical Excellence. This award honors organizations that have differentiated themselves around national performance standards through implementation of Rapid Response Teams. Baptist Hospital met this high standard by decreasing the percent of codes outside of the ICU by 20 percentage points with no increase in inpatient mortality.

Baptist Hospital is committed to providing high quality, compassionate care to our patients.

Baptist Hospital has implemented Rapid Response Teams – also known as Medical Emergency Teams, Critical Assessment Teams or Bedside Assessment Teams – as another way to provide the best possible care. These teams enable us to respond more quickly to change in a patient’s condition before a medical emergency, such as a heart attack, occurs.

The teams are made up of highly trained individuals, and may include nurses and respiratory therapists. If it appears a patient is quickly getting sicker, the team is called and takes immediate action. Rapid Response Teams come to patients in need to evaluate them and may discuss appropriate interventions with the physician. Their actions can help patients feel better and live longer.

Research shows that these teams save lives and reduce the length of time patients have to stay in the hospital. The team may also reduce the risk of:

Heart failure
Infection
Inability to breathe
Kidney or liver failure
Strokes

When are patients most likely to experience a change in their condition?

Anytime someone is in the hospital, unexpected events may arise that cause the patient to stay longer or lengthen their recovery. Patients are likely to experience changes in their conditions just after surgery, during medical tests or anytime during recovery.

Warning signs that may indicate a patient is getting sicker include:

Changes in the heart rate
Difficulty breathing on own
A drop in blood pressure
Using the bathroom less or more frequently
Confusion, agitation or other mental status changes

Can a patient or family member activate the team?

Yes, If you notice the patient becoming sicker very quickly, contact the patient’s nurse or contact the Rapid Response Team by calling “0” and ask for the CAT team. You can depend on team members to arrive within minutes to evaluate the patient.

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