Blue Ridge Regional Hospital Tops Peers in HCAHPS Survey

Blue Ridge Regional Hospital (BRRH) topped its peer group of 41 hospitals with the quality score of 9.55 out of 10, with 0 being the worst hospital possible and 10 being the best, according to its most recent Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers (HCAHPS) survey conducted from April through June of 2009 by the Jackson Group. The HCAHPS survey, developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, was designed to collect and report data to gain insight into the experience of patients in the hospital and the ways in which these experiences relate to the quality of healthcare Americans receive.

“We have worked hard over the years to ensure our quality of care is of the highest standard,” said Jane Edwards, vice president of patient care at Blue Ridge Regional Hospital. “Our nursing and clinical staffs undergo extensive training and have enthusiastically embraced our patient and family-centered care model, which is a collaborative approach that puts the needs of the patient and their family at the center of the patient’s individualized plan of care.”

 Blue Ridge Regional Hospital implemented the patient and family centered care model in 2006 and since that time has seen its scores, which were already high, climb to the top of its peer group. 

Each morning nurses develop daily goals in consultation with each patient, his or her family or caregiver, and his or her physician. The whole team then works throughout the day to achieve the goals. The hospital believes this approach has contributed to its high patient satisfaction scores because patients actively participate in decisions surrounding their plan of care. Within the last year, the hospital also implemented “team nursing” where two nurses are assigned to each patient on each shift. This has enabled staff to respond more quickly to each patient’s needs.

In a separate survey also conducted by the Jackson group from July through September 2009, 98% of patients said that they were pleased with the quality of care provided at Blue Ridge Regional Hospital.

“Although we are proud of these results and commend our staff for all of their hard work, we are never satisfied and continue to look for ways to improve” said Edwards. In the near future the hospital will be implementing “lightening rounds” which involve regular minute-long patient rounds with multidisciplinary caregivers. The intent of these rounds is to enhance communication and continuity of care and to identify any potential needs of the patients.

Blue Ridge Regional Hospital is a Joint Commission accredited, national award-winning facility which has served Mitchell, Yancey and surrounding counties for over 50 years. BRRH also owns 3 rural health clinics (Blue Ridge Medical Centers (BRMC)—Mayland, Spruce Pine, and Yancey Campuses), BRMC—Orthopaedics, BRMC—General Surgery, BRMC—Pain Clinic, Blue Ridge Urology, Blue Ridge Fitness & Rehabilitation Center, Toe River Children’s Dental Clinic, and, in partnership with American HomePatient, owns and manages Blue Ridge Home Care with offices in Spruce Pine, Asheville, Boone, Brevard, and Marion.

Keith S. Holtsclaw Earns Top Healthcare Management Credential

Keith S. Holtsclaw, President/CEO, FACHE, of Blue Ridge Regional Hospital (BRRH) recently became a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the nation’s leading professional society for healthcare administrators.  Only 7,500 healthcare executives currently hold this distinction.

Fellow status represents achievement of the highest standard of professional development. Candidates must fulfill multiple requirements, including passing a comprehensive examination, meeting academic and experiential criteria, demonstrating professional and community involvement and committing to ongoing professional development and recertification every three years. 

“It is an honor to become a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives,” said Holtsclaw.

“I look forward to applying what I’ve learned to ensure that Blue Ridge Regional Hospital remains one of the top small hospitals in the nation.”  

Holtsclaw has been President/CEO at BRRH since July 1997.  He joined the hospital in July 1991 as Vice President and COO.  Holtsclaw graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration from the University of Maryland in 1976 and with a Masters in Management from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey California in 1984.

An active member of the community, Holtsclaw is the past chairman of the Mitchell County Economic Development Commission, past chairman of Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce, and the founding chairman of the Mitchell and Yancey Counties’ Smart Start Children’s Program.  He is active in a number of regional and statewide health-related boards including the North Carolina Hospital Association, The McDowell Hospital and has also served as past chairman of the Western North Carolina Health Network.  Holtsclaw, a native of Spruce Pine, is a member of the Central Baptist Church in Spruce Pine and lives in Apple Mountain with his wife, Marquitta.

Blue Ridge Regional Hospital Foundation Receives Over $400,000 in Grants

Blue Ridge Regional Hospital Foundation recently announced receipt of over $400,000 in grants from the North Carolina Office of Rural Health and Community Care, the Community Benefits Program of Mission Hospitals, The Duke Endowment, the BlueCross BlueShield Foundation of North Carolina, and the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. These grants will provide funds to assist in the expansion and renovation of the hospital’s lab, to strengthen the Toe River Children’s Dental Clinic, and to increase access to primary care and much needed medications for low-income, uninsured residents through its Toe River Project Access initiative.

“We are thrilled to be awarded these funds which will enable us to better serve the growing needs of our region,” said Caryl Cullom, president of the Blue Ridge Regional Hospital Foundation. “We have long standing relationships with each of these entities so they know that we are good stewards of the funds entrusted to us and that we deliver what we promise in terms of results.”

Funds from 2 separate grants awarded through the NC Office of Rural Health and Community Care will provide not only operating support for Toe River Project Access, an initiative of the BRRH Foundation that helps low-income, uninsured residents of Mitchell and Yancey counties get access to medical, dental, vision and prescription assistance, but will also allow the program to enroll 90 more uninsured residents of Yancey County over the next year. Since its launch in November of 2003, this project has provided over $3 million in free care for 725 clients.

The grants from the Community Benefits Program of Mission Hospitals and the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina will provide emergency prescription assistance for Toe River Project Access clients. Through this program, clients will receive immediate access to much needed prescriptions while waiting to be accepted in long term pharmaceutical assistance programs, which can take 6 weeks or more.

The Duke Endowment grant will provide $75,000 for the expansion and renovation of the hospital’s lab. The Lab plays an integral role in the diagnosis and treatment of virtually every patient; not only in the hospital but in the medical practices the lab serves. The lab has been in its current location since 1999 and since that time has experienced significant volume and staffing increases. Last year the lab processed over a half-million tests for 43 different health care providers. This project, expected to be complete by February, will result in a 70% increase in the square footage of the lab.

The BlueCross BlueShield Foundation grant provides funds to bring in experts who will look for ways to reduce operating costs and improve efficiencies for Toe River Children’s Dental Clinic (TRCDC), which is owned and operated by Blue Ridge Regional Hospital.  TRCDC is the

safety-net provider of dental services for Medicaid and low-income pediatric patients and, as a result, has experienced operating losses in 5 of the 8 years it has been in operation.

Individual contributions are also accepted for all of the above projects. Please send a check, payable to the BRRH Foundation, and mail it to:  BRRH Foundation, PO Box 247, Spruce Pine, NC 28777. Be sure to list which program you are interested in supporting on the check.

Blue Ridge Regional Hospital Foundation is the fund-raising and friend-raising arm of the Foundation. Since its founding in 1995 the Foundation has provided over $6 million in grants for facilities improvements, equipment, community health initiatives and other needs of the hospital.