TWO RIVERS, Wis., Aurora Medical Center in Two Rivers has been recognized as a top performer in the care and treatment of community acquired pneumonia by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Quality Incentive Demonstration Project, a national hospital quality initiative.

Aurora Medical Center ranked in the top 10 percent of approximately 300 hospitals nationwide during the last reporting period, which looked at treatment guidelines and processes for hospitalized patients with community acquired pneumonia.

The CMS initiative compared hospital performance on guidelines such as:

• Obtaining two sets of blood cultures on admission.
• Selecting the appropriate antibiotic.
• Administering the antibiotic in a timely fashion (within three hours of presentation to the hospital).
• Performing assessments of oxygen needs.
• Screening for appropriate candidates for pneumococcal and influenza vaccines.
• Providing education on smoking cessation, if appropriate.

“This achievement was and will continue to be a hospital-wide effort,” said Vicki Grimstad, Director of Quality and Support Services at Aurora Medical Center. “The credit goes to physicians, nursing staff, pharmacy, case managers, health information staff, laboratory staff, respiratory therapy, quality management and all other persons involved in the care of these patients.”

As part of being recognized as a top performer, the hospital was asked to join three other U.S. hospitals, including The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., to do an internet telecast to discuss the development and implementation of treatment guidelines. The Web-Ex presentation took place last month.

Aurora Health Care is a not-for-profit Wisconsin health care provider and a nationally recognized leader in efforts to improve the quality of health care. Aurora offers services at sites in more than 80 communities throughout eastern Wisconsin.

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Contact: Mike Spofford, 920-445-2165