For Immediate Release

July 1, 2004

Mercy Memorial Involved in National Push to Prevent Surgical Errors

Ardmore—Starting today, hospitals across the nation are taking extra steps to prevent errors in surgery. Although the nationally mandated "time-out" period must be followed from here on out, Mercy Memorial Health Center has voluntarily been practicing time-outs for more than three years.

"We have always called it 'the point of no return,' and it is something we take very seriously at Mercy Memorial," said Christy Morris, Mercy Memorial Surgery manager. "And even though we've practiced time-outs for a long time, we still believe it is important to give national attention to the matter and we are proud to take part."

The time-out protocol for correct site surgery is now in place thanks to the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JCAHO). Time-outs give nurses, surgeons and medical teams a final checklist to make sure they are performing the correct procedure on the correct site of the correct patient. This initiative is expected to change the way 70 million surgeries are performed each year.

"Time-out not only ensures that the patient receives the best possible treatment but it also gives us important back-up for our own checks and balance system," said Morris. "I think it is a strong move on JCAHO's part and that it will become an important part of every hospital's surgery room procedures."

All accredited hospitals, ambulatory care and office-based surgery facilities will be required to adopt this universal protocol beginning today.

In addition to taking part in the time-out initiative, Mercy Memorial has also participated in a statewide collaborative to find the best methods to minimize the chance of surgical infection. The quality improvement project is co-sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. By meticulously tracking data, the team discovered that one of the most important processes in preventing surgical infection is administering the appropriate antibiotics during the hour before a patient's surgery, and discontinuing antibiotic treatment 24 hours after surgery ends.

"Taking part in this national initiative has helped us demonstrate how our physicians and co- workers can study, test and implement the latest knowledge available to produce immediate improvements here at Mercy Memorial when a need is identified," said Larry Lovelace, manager of infection control. "Mercy Memorial has been recognized for achieving excellent compliance in the study population with measures that have been demonstrated to reduce the risk of surgical infection including administering the right antibiotic at the right time, keeping patients warm during surgery and clipping body hair instead of shaving it."

"We work diligently every day to create a safer environment for all patients to have surgery," said Thomas Mulhollan, M.D. "We actively participate in these kinds of collaboratives and programs so that we can not only have a safer environment in our own hospital but so patients across the nation can have the benefit of the research and they too can have safer outcomes in their hospitals. We feel very good about the progress we have made and the steps we have put in place to prevent infection."

Mercy Memorial Health Center is a member of Mercy Health System of Oklahoma and the Sisters of Mercy Health System-St. Louis.

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