The University of Kansas Health System Care Collaborative awards Newman Regional Health with a Certificate of Commitment to Clinical Excellence.
July 2024
In the Press
The University of Kansas Health System Care Collaborative awarded Newman Regional Health a Certificate of Commitment to Clinical Excellence. The University of Kansas Health System Care Collaborative is a patient safety organization dedicated to the delivery of high-quality clinical care to improve the health of people living in rural Kansas communities.
The goal of the Care Collaborative is to provide programs that apply evidence-based care protocols at the local level, help patients stay in their own communities, and ensure patients get the right care at the right time.
“I am proud of our care team’s patient-focused efforts to provide the best care possible for our patients,” said Cathy Pimple DNP, CEO of Newman Regional Health. “Working with the Care Collaborative and peers across the state, our team has had the opportunity to advance patient safety and health outcomes.”
The Care Collaborative’s Participant Agreement obligates hospitals to adopt and adhere to evidence-based guidelines approved by the University of Kansas Medical Center faculty. Physicians, non-physician practitioners, nursing, and support staff complete guideline education through interactive training sessions known as “boot camps” that are taught by physicians and nurses from the University of Kansas Health System Care Collaborative.
To monitor compliance with the guidelines, the Care Collaborative’s nurse managers complete regular chart reviews on heart attack, stroke, sepsis, and diabetes cases presenting to the emergency department at Newman Regional Health. From these reviews, the hospital receives detailed reports, including case-by-case evaluation of care performance, that are used to guide continuous performance improvement.
“Participation in programs that educate and guide our teams to become better each day is important for both our clinicians and our patients,” says Ester Knobloch, Executive Director of Quality and Safety, “The care we provide is driven by our inherent desire to improve the quality of life of our patients and to assure that they can achieve their personal healthy goals.”
“2024 has been very representative of our hospital’s commitment to excellence,” Steven Bazan, Executive Director of strategy and development stated. “Just through June, we were recognized by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS) with a Blue Distinction® Centers+ (BDC+) for Maternity Care, became first hospital in the nation to launch the RapidAlerts Direct project, opened an Outpatient Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program, were recognized as a High 5 for Mom & Baby Premier facility, opened our Internal Medicine Clinic, launched our Occupational Health Service, introduced Shockwave IVL procedure to provide additional options for PAD treatment, and performed our first robot-assisted knee replacement. This recognition is a timely encouragement for our team.”
Newman Regional Health’s providers, nurses, pharmacists and other staff have participated in Care Collaborative programs that ensure that patients experiencing a stroke, heart attack, sepsis, COVID-19, heart failure or diabetes are treated following standardized protocols and best practice guidelines.
About The University of Kansas Health System Care Collaborative:
The University of Kansas Health System Care Collaborative is a patient safety organization (PSO) dedicated to delivering high-quality clinical care to improve the health of people living in rural Kansas communities. Founded in 2014 and accredited by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the collaborative is a network of healthcare providers and care teams who use evidence-based treatment models to achieve the best outcomes.