Delray Medical Center reflects back on some of 2014’s top achievements. The hospital is proud of the dedicated physicians, staff and volunteers who made this year’s long list of accolades possible.In an ongoing effort to expand its cardiac services, Delray Medical Center opened its hybrid operating room, which allows for new fields of treatment, including the minimally invasive Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) procedure. The hospital’s surgical team is able perform open surgical procedures, while at the same time viewing advanced 3D imaging, due to the technology of the innovative Artis Zeego multi-axis C-arm system.
In February, the hospital became one of the first in South Florida to offer the Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) via the Olympus EVIS EXERA III video endoscopy system. Through the collaborative use of a video processor, light source, endoscope and monitor, it allows physicians to peer inside the human body to diagnose, detect and treat gastrointestinal (GI) diseases and other conditions at an earlier stage when treatments are most successful.
The year continued with Delray Medical Center achieving recognition as one of the nation’s 50 Best Hospitals by Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. This distinction, which was earned based on an evaluation of the hospital’s clinical performance over seven years, places Delray Medical Center in the top 1 percent of hospitals nationwide.
May was a big month for Delray Medical Center as the hospital proudly accepted the Get With the Guidelines–Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, as well as the Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. The recognitions represent Delray Medical Center’s commitment to implementing a higher standard of care by ensuring that heart failure and stroke patients receive treatment based on nationally accepted guidelines.
Also in May, Delray Medical Center unveiled its new hybrid catheterization laboratory. Physicians now have the capabilities to capture and view detailed images of a patient’s vascular structure, thereby facilitating a faster and more accurate diagnosis of vascular disease. The new lab also allows surgeons to perform minimally invasive vascular procedures with reduced radiation exposure.
Later in spring, the hospital was chosen to participate in SWIFT PRIME, an international study involving acute ischemic stroke patients. The purpose of the trial was to determine if patients treated with combined IV tPA and Covidien’s Solitaire™ FR Revascularization Device within six hours of symptom onset have less stroke-related disability than those treated with IV tPA alone. The medical investigators at Delray Medical Center’s Comprehensive Stroke Center were able to combine their expertise with colleagues at the best institutions in the nation to test this new treatment modality.
Leading the way in utilizing state-of-the-art medical technology, Delray Medical Center became the first hospital in Florida to offer the 6 Pillar Approach for patients with subcortical brain abnormalities such as tumors and hemorrhages. During this procedure, physicians access the brain abnormality through a small opening and use brain imaging, GPS navigation technology and a tool called the NICO BrainPath* to safely move through the natural folds and millions of delicate fibers in the brain to reach the abnormality.
In June, Delray Medical Center was recognized by The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association for meeting The Joint Commission’s standards for Disease-Specific Care Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification. This means the hospital is part of an elite group of providers focused on complex stroke care.
To support the health care professionals of tomorrow through its college scholarship program, Delray Medical Center’s Auxiliary granted $31,000 in scholarships to 22 high school seniors who were either teen volunteers at the hospital or children of employees. Additionally, in an effort to further develop its academic center of excellence, the hospital welcomed its first class of 36 internal medicine residents from the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University.
In October, the hospital hosted the Innovations in Cardiovascular Care 2014 Symposium, which highlighted the latest developments in cardiovascular diagnosis, management and intervention. More than 150 physicians and allied professionals from North America and the Caribbean attended the event.
Rounding off the year, the hospital earned more honors from prestigious organizations, including Healthgrades, The Leapfrog Group and The Joint Commission. Healthgrades recognized Delray Medical Center for its cardiac, orthopaedic, neuroscience, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, critical care and women’s health services. For the fourth consecutive year, The Joint Commission named the hospital a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures. Lastly, Delray Medical Center received an “A” Hospital Safety Score as part of The Leapfrog Group’s fall 2014 report.
As 2015 quickly approaches, Delray Medical Center plans to sustain the high level of dedicated care that led to this year’s numerous accomplishments.
