Avera Bulletin - January 2008
Avera McKennan up for Prestigious Prize
Avera McKennan is the running for the 2008 American Hospital Association (AHA) McKesson Quest for Quality Prize®. From 40 written applications from hospitals around the nation, Avera McKennan is one of five chosen for a site visit, which is set for Feb. 12. During the site visit, the review team will observe and gather data on steps Avera McKennan is taking to achieve the six Institute of Medicine quality aims: safety, patient-centeredness, effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness and equity.
The prize is presented annually to honor leadership and innovation in quality, safety and commitment to patient care. The winner receives $75,000, and two finalists receive $12,500 each. The 2008 prize will be presented at the AHA Health Forum Leadership Summit, July 24-26, 2008, in San Diego.
Avera Campus to Have Ronald McDonald® House
Avera McKennan recently announced a gift to the community, to children, their families and the Ronald McDonald® House Charities of South Dakota. The gift is the use of one of three 9,000-square-foot buildings that are part of the Walsh Family Village under construction just south of the Avera McKennan campus. The three homes that will comprise the village include Casa de Carlitos, the Nano Nagle Inn and the Ronald McDonald® House.
The building that will become the Ronald McDonald® House has eight rooms, a children’s play area, family room, living room, dining area and two full kitchens. Avera Children’s Hospital will refer families of pediatric patients to the house, which will operate under the direction of Ronald McDonald® House Charities of South Dakota.
Many patients require extended stays or frequent trips for treatments. Expenses for fuel and lodging can be overwhelming. The Walsh Family Village, which will open in summer 2008, will help ease financial burdens for out-of-town patients and families by serving as a home away from home.
Avera Queen of Peace Bariatric Surgery Center Receives Accreditation
The Bariatric Surgery Center at Avera Queen of Peace has been accredited as a Level 2b facility by the Bariatric Surgery Center Network (BSCN) Accreditation Program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). This designation means that the center has met the essential criteria that ensures it is fully capable of supporting a bariatric surgery care program and that its institutional performance meets the requirements outlined by the ACS BSCN Accreditation Program.
The ACS BSCN accreditation program was established by the American College of Surgeons in 2005 in an effort to extend established quality improvement practices to all disciplines of surgical care.
Avera Health Plans Has New Location
Avera Health Plans moved the week of Jan. 14, 2008, to offices located near the corner of 49th Street and Elmwood Avenue in Sioux Falls.
New Street Address:
Avera Health Plans
3816 S Elmwood Avenue, Suite 100
Sioux Falls, SD 57105-6538
The post office box, phone numbers, fax number and claims mailing address remain the same. Continue to mail premiums to the same post office box.
Mailing Address for Premiums:
Avera Health Plans
PO Box 826
Sioux Falls, SD 57101-0826
Mailing Address for Claims:
Avera Health Plans
PO Box 381506
Birmingham, AL 35238
Phone: (605) 322-4545
Fax: (605) 322-4540
Toll-free: 1 (888) 322-2115
Avera McKennan Nuclear Medicine Ears Voluntary Accreditation
The Avera McKennan Nuclear Medicine department recently completed voluntary accreditation for nuclear cardiology from the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Nuclear Medicine Laboratories (ICANL), making it the first ICANL-accredited Nuclear Medicine department in the region. The achievement demonstrates a strong commitment to quality patient care.
ICANL does not regulate, but instead is dedicated to promoting quality nuclear medicine programs by providing a peer review process of accreditation. Through the accreditation, the department assessed every aspect of daily operations and its impact on the quality of health care.