Contacts Cassie Sauer Washington State Hospital Association 206/216-2538 cassies@wsha.org Anne Tan Piazza Washington State Nurses Association 206/575-7979 ext. 3006 apiazza@wsna.org Todd Langton Qualis Health 800-949-7536 toddl@qualishealth.org Carter Wright Service Employees International Union District 1199NW 800-422-8934 carterw@seiu1199nw.org Download Helper Adobe Acrobat PDF files Webex presentations Audio files

June 21, 2005—For immediate release

One hundred percent of community hospitals in Washington State have committed to participate in a remarkable campaign to save 100,000 lives nationwide through hospital quality improvement. The 100k Lives Campaign, founded by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), is the first of its kind – a national campaign to institute changes that will save 100,000 lives using proven best clinical practices and methods. This groundbreaking effort gives hospitals concrete, science-based interventions to save lives.

The national campaign seeks to save 100,000 lives by June 2006 and has already enlisted 2,000 hospitals across the country, totaling more than one third of all hospitals. All community hospitals in Washington State have joined the campaign. Washington is the first state of its size to have full hospital participation.

“We are thrilled that one hundred percent of Washington State hospitals will be participating in the 100k Lives Campaign. Washington hospitals have long-standing commitments to patient safety,” said Scott Bond, chief executive officer of Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia and chair of the Washington State Hospital Association. “This campaign offers significant improvements to ensure hospitals are providing the highest quality care possible for patients.”

Participating hospitals are implementing some or all of six life-saving best practices. These practices are proven to significantly improve health care quality and safety. They are:
• Deploying rapid-response teams at the first sign of patient decline;
• Delivering evidence-based care for patients with acute myocardial infarction (heart attack);
• Implementing medication reconciliation — listing and evaluating all of a patient's drugs to prevent adverse events;
• Implementing a set of interventions known as the “central line bundle” to prevent central venous catheter-related blood stream infections;
• Implementing a set of interventions known as the “surgical site infection bundle” to prevent surgery-related infections; and
• Implementing “ventilator bundles” to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia and other complications in patients on ventilators.

Participating hospitals agree to measure their results by submitting monthly mortality data reported on a quarterly basis.

“This campaign challenges the health care industry to make necessary improvements in the care we provide to patients,” said Gary S. Kaplan, M.D., chairman and CEO, Virginia Mason Medical Center. “Washington residents deserve the changes that will result from this important work.”

About the Washington Network of the 100k Lives Campaign
The Washington Network of the 100k Lives Campaign is a collaborative effort of state health care associations, provider organizations and health care improvement companies dedicated to implementing the national 100k Lives Campaign in our state. “The campaign is a true partnership among health care professional organizations, hospital management, and direct patient care providers,” said Judy Huntington, R.N., executive director of the Washington State Nurses Association. “Our members are eager to implement these scientifically-based interventions to save lives,” echoed Diane Sosne, president of Service Employees International Union 1199NW.

The Washington Network of the 100k Lives campaign is coordinated by partner organizations including the Washington State Hospital Association, the Washington State Medical Association, the Washington State Nurses Association, Service Employees International Union 1199NW, the Northwest Organization of Nurse Executives, and Qualis Health.

National 100k Lives Campaign Sponsors
The campaign is endorsed by the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, and the Veterans Health Administration.

On the Web:

• Washington Network: www.100kliveswanetwork.org
• Institute for Healthcare Improvement: www.ihi.org