OK.... so I'm fixated on tornadoes (read my blog history and see why!), but even I can't seriously be using a tornado as the reason for my not having done any recent blog updates! That's as bad a "the dog ate my homework". I suppose I am just not "in the habit" of blogging. I will (really!) try to do better!
So, here's a quick update!
2010: It's only May and with everything that has been packed into the past few months, it feels like it should already be September. 2010 is proving to be incredible. It is the year of our 30th Anniversary of providing services! And, yes, I have been with the organization as CEO for the entire thirty years. Considering that we began services in 1980 with one office, one doctor and only four staff members, we have indeed come al long way! We will be having several 30th Year Anniversary celebrations during the year. Stay tuned!
At the end of March 2010 we received our fourth Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JCAHO) accreditation survey! We passed with flying colors! We are extremely proud of our JCAHO accreditation. We feel this accreditation represents the "gold seal" of quality. There are only eighteen JCAHO accredited ambulatory centers in SC, including surgery centers. CareSouth Carolina is proud to offer to the communities we serve, quality care and services that meet the highest standards of ambulatory care: those of the Joint Commission.
Recently CareSouth Carolina has also received international accolades for our work in improvement. The Institute of Healthcare Improvement 2009 Progress Report (www.ihi.org) cites CareSouth Carolina for our work in managing diabetes. IHI is a leading international organization working toward healthcare improvement. And, by the way, congratulations to the IHI President, Dr. Don Berwick, for the recent nomination by President Obama for the position of Administrator of CMS (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services). We can't wait to see what this extraordinary leader of IHI will bring to the reimbursement policies of Medicare and Medicaid.
With Dr. Berwick at the helm of CMS and the new Health Care Reform legislation, we believe the future will offer significant opportunities. Just recently, we have seen a dramatic increase in the numbers of un and under insured. Folks have lost their jobs and small businesses have been unable to continue to provide employee health insurance. Our services are designed to provide a health care home. We call it a health care home because our services go beyond primary medical care - providing integrated behavioral health services, care management and education, pharmacy, patient advocacy and outreach services.
CareSouth is also about to pass a major milestone in our journey of transformation and improvement: we will be implementing an Electronic Health Record. We have made our vendor software choice, insuring that CareSouth will continue to be a leader in quality. The decision about our choice has taken almost one year! Our selection decision was made based on embracing the full scope of meaningful use of the EHR including assisting with quality and safety, engaging patients and families, providing care coordination among other providers (hospitals, specialists, etc.), providing data for patient and population management, and insuring privacy and security. We are excited about this next phase in the evolution of transformation and improvement.
So, so long for now! By the way, if you have perused my prior blogs and see my past pictures of tornado destruction of my house, here's a picture update of the new house! Finally, I have moved in!
