By taking part in a nationwide campaign to reduce death rates due to medical errors, Jackson Memorial Hospital (JMH) has reduced its mortality rates by an estimated 14% system wide. JMH is one of 3,000-plus hospitals across the county that fully participated in the “100,000 Lives Campaign,” which was launched in December 2004 and came to a close on June 14, 2006.

Led by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, “100,000 Lives” was the first-ever national initiative to save a specified number of lives using proven clinical practices. These practices were implemented by the participating hospitals as they worked to meet a collective goal of 100,000 lives saved.

“We believe this campaign is a reason for the downward trend in our mortality rates,” said Fran Civilette Downs, R.N., M.S.N., the patient safety coordinator for Jackson Health System. “We are always looking for ways to improve the quality and safety of our care and are excited about the results of this initiative.”

As a participant in “100,000 Lives” campaign, JMH implemented the following quality improvement changes:

  • Deliver Reliable Evidence-Based Care for Acute Myocardial Infarction by consistently delivering key measures – including early administration of aspirin and beta-blockers – that prevent patient deaths from heart attack;
  • Prevent Adverse Drug Events by implementing medication reconciliation, which requires that a list of all of a patient’s medications (even for unrelated illnesses) be compiled and reconciled to ensure that the patient is given (or prescribed) the right medications at the correct dosages – at admission, discharge and before transferring a patient to another care unit;
  • Prevent Surgical Site Infections by reliably delivering the correct perioperative antibiotics, maintaining glucose levels and avoiding shaving hair at the surgical site;
  • Prevent Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia by implementing five interdependent, scientifically grounded steps collectively called the “Ventilator Bundle” – such as elevating the head of the hospital bed to between 30 and 45 degrees – thereby dramatically reducing mortality and length of stay in the Intensive Care Unit.