We are concerned about patient safety at Walla Walla General Hospital. We are committed to ongoing investigation of health-care related safety issues, and to development of a culture of safety at our facility. We are currently engaged in the following national patient safety initiatives:
IHI 100K and 5 Million Lives Campaign
The Institute of Healthcare Improvement has championed a national campaign to save lives by addressing areas of specific concern that have been identified as problematic. The campaigns involve process improvement projects in the areas of healthcare acquired infections associated with surgery, ventilators and centrally placed IV lines; with the treatment of heart attacks (Acute myocardial infarctions); and the development of Rapid Response teams to assist with prevention of catastrophic events like cardiac arrests. WWGH is involved in all of these initiatives.
JCAHO Core Measures
The Joint Commission measures certain aspects of care for AMI (acute myocardial infarctions), Heart Failure, Pneumonia and Surgical Core Improvement Processes. Elements in each category are based upon scientifically proven, evidence-based care.
National Patient Safety Goals
The Joint Commission has identified areas where patient safety can be improved by application of evidence based care practices. The goals list is ongoing, with some goals being adopted as a standard practice, some going to regulatory bodies for monitoring, and new goals being added or expanded upon annually. See the full list here.
If you have a concern about patient care and safety at WWGH, and you feel that the hospital has not addressed this concern, you are encouraged to contact the hospital's Director of Quality at 509-527-8000 ext. 1105 and report the concern about patient care and safety. If the hospital cannot resolve these concerns, you are encouraged to contact the Joint Commission at 800-994-6610 or the Washington State Department of Health at 800-633-6028. Learn more about the quality of care at WWGH in the special quality section of our website.
