Exhibit showcases UPMC's commitment to quality UPMC Health System's dedication to quality health care took center stage May 4 at the Biomedical Science Tower as 14 institutions from throughout the Health System participated in the first UPMC Health System Quality and Innovation Exhibit. UPMC Lee Regional claims first prize UPMC Lee Regional claimed first prize in the inaugural exhibition for the entry Focus on Improving Ambulatory Surgery Process. Delays in completing the preoperative records meant surgical procedures did not start on time, creating a domino effect that delayed patients throughout the day and even resulted in postponement of procedures for some patients. The team designed a formal presurgical assessment process that now is run by the ambulatory surgery department, and a full-time staffed preoperative assessment room was established near the first floor registration area at the hospital.
All presurgical assessment is done here.
The results have been impressive. UPMC Lee Regional plans to implement the process in the anesthesia unit as well, Ms. Bartkovich says. Other exhibition participants included UPMC Beaver Valley, UPMC Bedford Memorial, UPMC Braddock, UPMC Horizon, Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC Health System, UPMC McKeesport, UPMC Passavant, UPMC Presbyterian, UPMC St. Margaret, UPMC Shadyside, UPMC South Side, UPMC Rehabilitation Hospital, and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. The Quality and Innovation Exhibit is special because it demonstrates how quality is driven by frontline staff who directly impact patient care, says Loren Roth, MD, MPH, senior vice president, Medical Services, UPMC Health System. The ground-floor staff embody the 'quality begins with me' attitude.