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014 was a progressive year full of accomplishments for Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center. The hospital received numerous national awards, welcomed experienced leaders to its staff and implemented new technology to provide better care for the residents of Palm Beach County.
014 was a progressive year full of accomplishments for Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center. The hospital received numerous national awards, welcomed experienced leaders to its staff and implemented new technology to provide better care for the residents of Palm Beach County.The hospital kicked off the year by celebrating a major milestone in January: 30 years of performing open-heart surgeries. Back in November 1983, Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center became the first hospital to offer open-heart surgery services in Palm Beach, Martin, Okeechobee, Indian River and St. Lucie counties. Since then, the hospital has completed more than 16,000 open-heart procedures. The beginning of this year also brought the adoption of the Diamondback 360 Coronary Orbital Atherectomy System (OAS). Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center became one of the first health care providers in the United States to use this innovative surgical technology to treat patients with coronary artery disease.
In February, the hospital welcomed a key addition to its medical staff. Dr. Arun Talkad, neurologist, was appointed as the new medical director of the Primary Stroke Center. Dr. Talkad brought extensive experience in stroke care that has greatly benefitted the hospital’s neurology patients.
The year continued with Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center receiving a string of prestigious national awards from April through November. The hospital earned the Get With The Guidelines (GWTG)-Stroke Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Award from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients.
In June, Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center received the Partner Recognition award from Practice Greenhealth for its efforts to make environmental improvements, achieving successful results and having at least a 10 percent recycling rate for its total waste stream. Since implementing the Integrated Waste Stream Solutions program in 2011, the hospital has recycled about 442,443 lbs per year, nearly double the amount it has recycled in previous years.
The same month, Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center was one of 19 hospitals in the United States to receive accreditation for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and cardiac catheterization by Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence (ACE), an organization dedicated to ensuring adherence to the highest quality standards for cardiovascular and endovascular care.
In September, Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center was one of 139 hospitals nationwide to earn the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR ACTION- Registry-GWTG Silver Performance Achievement Award for 2014. This honor recognizes hospitals that successfully implement higher care standards for heart attack patients. Concurrently, the hospital acquired a multi-axis angiography system from Siemens Healthcare for its new $5 million hybrid operating suite. The new technology gives physicians detailed images to help speed up a patient’s diagnosis and treatment. This allows the surgeon to work more precisely and efficiently to complete complex operations, including but not limited to valve replacements, open heart surgeries, and vascular and spinal procedures.
In November, The Joint Commission awarded the hospital with the ‘Top Performer on Key Quality Measures’ for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care. Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center is one of 1,224 hospitals nationwide to earn the Top Performer distinction. The hospital also received an “A” Hospital Safety Score from The Leapfrog Group, a non-profit organization that provides health care information to consumers.
Wrapping up the year, the hospital is proud to welcome Robert Dickens as its newest chief operating officer. His diverse experience, along with his commitment to helping others, makes him a great addition to the Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center team.
Overall, Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center is proud of this year’s many accomplishments and looks forward to seeing the hospital’s growth in the upcoming year.
