Congratulations Sylvia Robledo, April's Customer Service Employee of the Month!

PHLB would like to congratulate Sylvia Robledo as our April 2013 Customer Service Employee Of The Month.

Here's an excerpt from a voicemail that a patient left about Sylvia's fine work:

"I just wanted to call to let you know that Sylvia was so professional and so nice in taking care of me; and even though it’s her job to take care of me, she made it seem like it was something she really wanted to do. She made me comfortable; she made sure I had everything; and she was so pleasant that I just thought that I would take a few minutes to let you know that Sylvia was extremely good."

Congratulations Sylvia!

Long Beach Hospital Eliminates Deadly Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia - WRCBtv.com | Chattanooga News, Weather & Sports

Long Beach Hospital Eliminates Deadly Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia - WRCBtv.com | Chattanooga News, Weather & Sports

New Fluoroscopy Suite Coming Soon!

Did you know that our new Toshiba Kalare Fluoroscopy suite is close to completion? This suite is located in radiology and will soon be fully operational.

With the Kalare system, PHLB imaging technologists will have the ability to use a single X-ray system to capture images within a matter of minutes for a fast, accurate diagnosis. The system can accommodate numerous studies including general diagnostic, gastrointestinal exams, myelography and nonvascular interventional radiography.

The benefits of the new fluoroscopy suite and equipment include:

• Efficiency and Productivity: The speed of the new Toshiba Kalare system can increase productivity by allowing the technologist to perform more procedures than in the past.
• Exceptional Digital Images: High-quality, digital images produced by the Toshiba Kalare X-ray system increases clinical capabilities with state-of-the-art digital imaging.
• Versatile and User-Friendly: Toshiba Kalare’s user-friendly design makes it easy and comfortable for technologists to perform multiple exams on a single day with ease.

In addition to expanding clinical capabilities with efficient X-ray procedures, PHLB expects to significantly increase its exam capacity – which means more patients can be treated faster with greater diagnostic confidence.

Stay tuned for more on this developing success story.

Pacific Hospital’s CAT Scan Department Granted ACR Accreditation!

We are proud to announce Pacific Hospital’s CAT Scan Department has been granted a three year accreditation from the American College of Radiology (ACR). This accreditation has been awarded in all areas, including Adult, Pediatric, and Cardiac Imaging. The CT department has undergone a rigorous review by the ACR to ensure it meets national accepted standards of care.

We would like to thank Clara Cedillo and Linda Page who have worked diligently in obtaining this accreditation. This process took approximately 6 months to complete and demonstrates our commitment to the highest quality of patient care and safety.

California Hospital Association Lists PHLB in Success Stories this Month!

California Hospital Association (CHA) has included Pacific Hospital of Long Beach in their list of success stories this month for our work combatting Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia. See the full list here: CHA Success Stories

Seattle PI: Pacific Hospital of Long Beach Eliminates Deadly Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia

This morning, Seattle PI, a Washington-based newspaper, published a story on Pacific Hospital and our successful efforts in bringing Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) incidence down to zero.

You can read the story here:

Pacific Hospital of Long Beach Eliminates Deadly Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia

Pacific Hospital Receives Award from Southern California Patient Safety First

In its ongoing fight against these potentially deadly infections, Pacific Hospital of Long Beach has recently received an award from the Southern California Patient Safety First (SCPSF) for reducing sepsis mortality and hospital associated infection rates from 2010-2012. While Pacific Hospital has gained national attention for its success in reducing these deadly hospital-acquired infections, this latest recognition highlights the significant impact on the safety and quality of care for its local Southern California community. Thanks to simple, yet innovative control measures, Pacific Hospital of Long Beach has achieved outstanding results. Pacific Hospital has the lowest incidence of MRSA and Clostridium difficile in California.

Read the Press Release: Long Beach Hospital Winning the Fight Against Deadly Super Bugs

Advanceweb.com Explains Pacific Hospital's Algorithm to Eradicate Infection.

Advanceweb.com, a website dedicated to serving the healthcare community, published an article outlining Pacific Hospital of Long Beach's strategy for infection control. The article is written from a nursing perspective and goes into details about the measures taken at Pacific Hospital that differ from other hospitals.

Read the article on advanceweb.com: Eradicating Infection

Pacific Hospital mentioned in Hospital-Associated Infection Article on CNN Health

CNN published an article about the C. diff infection and its spread throughout hospitals. The article mentions Pacific Hospital of Long Beach who got it's C. diff infection rate down to zero. PHLB's Epidemiologist, Dr. Alfonso Torress-Cook, is also featured in the article voicing his frustrations with all too common attitudes toward the C. diff infection.

You can read the article on CNN Health: Don't let a hospital kill your child

Fox News Covers Pacific Hospital's Infection Control Efforts

Fox News covers an astounding story shedding light on patients contracting infections during their stay in the hospital. The CDC reports up to 99,000 die each year from hospital-associated infections and almost two million are sickened by hospital germs! Pacific Hospital's Head of Infection Control, Dr. Alfonso Torress-Cook, is featured during the report pointing out how Pacific Hospital of Long Beach has upped the ante against hospital-associated infections. Some of the strategies employed included technology upgrades like UV-filtration systems, consistent use of best practices, and several measures taken for both the staff and the patients. Check out the Fox News video below:

Or, watch it on youtube:
Infection Control Report featuring Pacific Hospital's Dr. Torress-Cook

Pacific Hospital Receives Congressional Award for During International Infection Prevention Week

In 2009, Pacific Hospital of Long Beach received special congressional recognition for bringing greater attention to the critical need to protect patients and the public from the risk of healthcare-associated infections

California Hospital Association Highlights Pacific Hospital

The California Hospital Association has launched a statewide public education campaign. The CHA Public Advocacy Program highlights our efforts for drastically reducing Clostridium Difficile (C. diff) Infections.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, C. diff causes approximately 14,000 deaths each year in all types of medical facilities, including hospitals, nursing homes and outpatient facilities. In recent years, C. diff infections have become increasingly frequent, severe and difficult to treat. This has created additional challenges and opportunities for hospitals to review and change the way they treat patients who have been identified as having C. diff.

Read about our success here!

Our Infection Control Efforts are Noticed

The California Report provides daily coverage of issues, trends, and public policy decisions affecting California and its diverse population. Their report, which was featured on KQED Radio, focuses on our continued strides in reducing infections at Pacific Hospital of Long Beach.

The reporters were given a tour of our facilities and had a first-hand look at the measures we take to increase your safety.

Please take some time to listen to the report and view the interactive report.

Listen to the report here:

Watch the interactive report here:

Read about Pacific Hospital of Long Beach's Infection Control Efforts.

PHLB Earns Excellence Award from Cerner Corporation

Our hospital recently made the journey from a predominantly paper based workflow to an electronic medical records system (EMR) with Cerner Corporation, the largest provider of electronic medical systems in the United States. We selected Cerner to improve patient safety and quality of care, increase hospital revenue, and achieve stage one of Meaningful Use within a short time frame. Our small California hospital took on a big challenge as it sought to kick off 35 clinical and financial solutions and interfaces within 12 months.
This was one of the largest solution implementations in the West Coast for Cerner. Despite the daunting task, the outcome was a complete success, prompting Cerner Corporation to award PHLB with their performance Excellence Award. The hospital and Cerner formed a strong partnership which was demonstrated in the joint objectives for the EMR system, later named PEARL for Patient Electronic Access Records Live.
Learn More Here