Delnor has a strong commitment to providing quality care to the patients and communities we serve. Following is an overview of some of the important ways we fulfilled that commitment in 2010.

Success in Reducing Hospital-Acquired Infections

As part of Delnor's ongoing commitment to patient safety, the hospital reached a major milestone in 2010 achieved by few others in the nation - the near elimination of two types of hospital-acquired infections. The first is called Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and the second is known as central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs).

"We're proud to report that Delnor had no cases of hospital-acquired MRSA on patient units in 2009 and 2010, and we had only1 case of CLABSI in 2010," said Infection Preventionist Lynn Skelton. These accomplishments are credited to an organization-wide initiative aimed at reducing hospital-acquired infections and efforts linked to Delnor's participation in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's 100,000 Lives Campaign."The success reflects Delnor's top-down commitment to improving quality that starts with the board of directors and administration and extends to leaders, employees and physicians," Skelton said.

Ensuring Proper Use of Antibiotics

Delnor is taking action to address antibiotic resistance, one of the nation's most pressing public health problems. "Bacteria that were once highly responsive to antibiotics have become increasingly resistant," states Steven Lewis, M.D., infectious disease specialist at the hospital. "If antibiotics are used too often for things they can't treat - like colds or other viral infections - they become less effective against the bacteria they're intended to treat."

Thanks to Delnor's Antibiotic Stewardship Program, the hospital was able to reduce the incidence of hospital-acquired infections last year, including Clostridium difficile, or C.diff. Delnor saw a 28% reduction in C.diff cases in 2010 compared to 2009. This was accomplished by changing the hospital formulary and limiting the use of antibiotics known to raise the risk of the infection and substituting them with other options. The goal of the program is to make sure the right antibiotics are used at the right time through the guidelines and defined prescribing practices for physicians, as well as patient and community education.

Leading the Way in Accountability

At Delnor, we believe it's our responsibility to be accountable and to provide you with the resources you need to make informed decisions about your medical care. That's why we voluntarily participate in initiatives sponsored by the federal government (www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov) and regulatory agencies (www.quality check.org) designed to make data about clinical quality at hospitals more readily available.

It's also why Delnor is a leader in providing information about quality in the Quality Report Card section of our website. From medical outcome indicators to patient satisfaction data, this special section of our website shows the hospital's performance on a wide range of quality measures.