VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System

 NORTHAMPTON, March 1, 2011 -- The Northampton VA Medical Center received a 2010 Bronze Award from the VA National Center for Patient Safety.

The award is part of a VA "Cornerstone Recognition Program" initiated by the National Center for Patient Safety to recognize leaders in VA patient safety at the facility level. The center is located in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Award recipients must meet specific criteria and have a patient safety program that focuses on quality and timeliness.  The Cornerstone Program was created as an incentive to VA facilities to complete stronger "Root Cause Analyses," or RCAs. 

A root cause analysis is a process aimed at identifying the fundamental causes of medical errors or events. The practice of RCA is predicated on the belief that errors are best solved by attempting to correct or eliminate root causes, as opposed to merely addressing the immediately obvious symptoms. 

The process identifies the basic or contributing causal factors that underlie variations in performance associated with adverse events or close calls.  RCA, an important element of the VA Patient Safety Program, contributes to building a culture of safety.

Award recipients are required to meet specific criteria focused on quality, timeliness, and quantity of root cause analyses in preventing medical errors. The award is given annually to facility patient safety programs who meet these requirements.

Facilities can earn gold, silver, or bronze awards, based on the number of RCAs completed and the quality of the RCAs.

"We acknowledge the hard work your team provided to achieve this award and appreciate the spirit in fostering patient safety within the Veterans Health Administration," said the award, presented to Roger Johnson, the VAMC director.  Johnson, in turn, presented the award to Elaine Kersten, the center's patient safety manager.

“Elaine is commended for ensuring the Northampton VA Medical Center continues to meet VA requirements to complete all root cause analyses within the established timelines and in ensuring a strong culture of patient safety here,” said Johnson.

Kersten said it's fitting that the recognition was received the week before the Northampton VA begins Patient Safety Awareness Week, March 6 to 12.

“The award really shows the importance of working through problems in order to ensure patient safety for our Veterans," said Kersten.  "Every one of us has a role in patient safety across the continuum of care -- whether it be nurses and doctors on the ward floors discussing ways to identify risks or housekeeping staff washing their hands and practicing good public health.  We'll use this award and Patient Safety Week to further increase awareness about patient safety."

Last year, the facility completed six individual and three aggregate root cause analyses.

The NCPS was established in 1999 to develop and nurture a culture of safety throughout the Department of Veterans Affairs. The goal is the nationwide reduction and prevention of inadvertent harm to patients as a result of the care they receive. Patient safety managers at 153 VA hospitals and patient safety officers at 21 VA regional headquarters participate in the program.