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Left to Right: John DiAngelo, president and CEO, Carol Copsey, M.S.N., R.N.-B.C., Inpatient Diabetes Education Program leader, Lynette Newkirk, R.N., B.S.N., A.C.M., COACH Program leader, and Elizabeth Sheridan, R.N., M.A., chief operating officer of Inspira Medical Centers Elmer and Vineland.
MULLICA HILL, NJ (February 26, 2015) – Two Inspira Health Network programs, which have successfully improved the health of recently hospitalized patients, were recognized with state-wide awards. The New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA) recently recognized Inspira at its annual awards program with two of only six awards given in the categories of Community Outreach and Quality Improvement.
“Inspira Health Network’s COACH Program and Diabetes Education Program are great examples of how we are focusing on improving the health of our communities,” said John DiAngelo, president and CEO of Inspira Health Network. “Both programs aim to help patients be successful in their return home from a hospital stay and avoid readmission. Our emphasis on the transition from hospital to home, patient and family education, and support that extends beyond the walls of our facilities, gives us a glimpse of the future of health care.”
NJHA’s Community Outreach Award recognized Inspira’s COACH (Coordinating Options Across the Continuum of Health Care) program. The COACH Program helps to improve patients’ wellbeing and quality of life in the face of substantial health, social and economic complexities and challenges. The program specifically targets medically fragile patients who are diagnosed with heart failure, diabetes, pneumonia, renal failure, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and heart attack.
Inspira’s COACH coordination nurses begin interacting with patients prior to their discharge and maintain the relationship for a minimum of thirty days after discharge, including a home visit. The program has consistently reduced readmissions by approximately 18% since it began in 2011.
Through the NJHA Institute for Quality and Patient Safety, Inspira’s Multidisciplinary Team for Inpatient Diabetes Education was recognized for Excellence in Quality Improvement. The program brings together a multidisciplinary team to help patients who are being treated for another illness and also have diabetes. The team includes representatives from nursing, physical therapy, nutritional therapy, pharmacy, and social services/care coordination. Together, they provide a one-hour inpatient intervention for the patient and their family, which results in personalized follow-up sessions in both the inpatient and outpatient setting.
Since the program began, not a single patient who attended the multidisciplinary session was readmitted within thirty days for diabetes or a diabetes-related complication. In addition, the overall readmission rates for attendees are far lower than national norms.
About Inspira Health Network
Inspira Health Network is a charitable nonprofit health care organization formed in November 2012 by the merger of South Jersey Healthcare and Underwood-Memorial Hospital. The network, which traces its roots to 1899, now comprises three hospitals, four multi-specialty health centers and a total of more than 60 locations. These include outpatient imaging and rehabilitation centers; urgent care; numerous specialty centers, including sleep medicine, cardiac testing and wound care; home care and hospice; and more than two dozen primary and specialty physician practices in Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties.
Together with its medical staff of more than 1,100 physicians and other care providers, as well as more than 5,500 employees, Inspira Health Network provides evidence-based care to help each patient achieve the best possible outcome. Clinical and support staffs are focused on providing quality care in a safe environment. For more information about Inspira Health Network, call 1-800-INSPIRA.
