Noble Hospital Recognized on Nationally Broadcast Video

WESTFIELD — Already the recipient of a statewide award for excellence, the medical reconciliation process at Noble Hospital has been featured in a training video that was shown via satellite on March 15 to other health providers around the country.

All day on Feb. 20, a film crew from the Joint Commission Resources Quality and Safety Network worked with Noble Hospital staff to film scenes for “Medication Reconciliation: The Impact on Patient Safety.”

The training video was available for providers across the country to view through the Joint Commission Satellite Network. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits nearly 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the U.S.

The Joint Commission chose Noble Hospital to participate in the video due to recent recognition of the quality of Noble’s patient-safety programs. In June 2006, the Mass. Hospital Association (MHA) and the Mass. Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors presented an award for “Excellence in Patient Safety” to Noble.

The awards were based on the hospital’s success in implementing two MHA/Coalition Flagship Safety Initiatives: reconciling medications (making sure patients’ medications are coordinated throughout their care), and communicating critical test results (ensuring that test results are shared quickly and accurately with clinicians who can take action).

Noble’s medical reconciliation process was developed across the hospital’s various clinical services and is evaluated by the Continuous Quality Improvement Department. A pharmacy technician performs daily rounds on all new admissions to ensure the accuracy of patient medication lists.

Meanwhile, a computerized Meditech form of the patient’s medication lists, and eventually a discharge medication list, are shared with patients to manage their care.

Each patient is also given a plastic, wallet-sized holder with a medication card on one side and an area to hold insurance cards on the other.