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For Immediate Release | For more information, contact: |
Owatonna Hospital wins Innovation of the Year in Patient Care AwardOWATONNA, Minn. 01/14/2008--Owatonna Hospital was named the 2007 "Innovation of the Year in Patient Care Award" winner (small hospital category) for its Cardiac Heart Failure Initiative during the Minnesota Hospital Annual Awards Banquet Friday, January 11 at the Radisson Hotel, Plymouth.
 Representatives from Owatonna Hospital and Owatonna Clinic gathered to receive the prestigious Innovation of the Year in Patient Care Small Hospital award from the Minnesota Hospital Association. Pictured with the award, from left to right: Becky Christensen, Owatonna Hospital risk coordinator; Carol Winter, MD and Owatonna Clinic internist; Brian Bunkers, Owatonna Clinic CEO and family physician; Sharon Kapp, RN and Owatonna Hospital Inpatient Care Manager; Kathy Huttar, RN and Owatonna Hospital Quality & Risk manager; Doris Domeier, Owatonna Hospital coding specialist. Working together with the Owatonna Clinic-Mayo Health System, Owatonna Hospital developed and put into place new methods for delivering enhanced care for patients diagnosed with congestive heart failure (CHF or heart failure) to reduce readmission to the hospital. The honor was one of 20 individual and group awards bestowed by the Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) of St. Paul. The group's annual program recognizes volunteers, medical professionals, trustees, and others whose contributions bettered health care at Minnesota hospitals last year. Congestive heart failure is a medical condition in which one's heart does not pump as strong as it should. As a result, fluid builds up in the lungs and other parts of the body. Organs such as the kidneys and the brain receive less blood. The most common symptoms of heart failure are shortness of breath, swelling of the feet and legs, and fatigue. "This new program provides inpatient and outpatient treatment and education to help chronic heart failure patients live longer, more rewarding lives," said Sharon Kapp, RN and Inpatient Care manager, Owatonna Hospital. The program involves improved treatment documentation in patient charts, enhanced education while in the hospital, improved discharge instructions that include referring heart-failure patients to the clinic for further outpatient monitoring, education and dietary counseling. "The ultimate goal is to avoid readmission to the hospital and decrease overall treatment costs," added Kapp. Since implementing the new program, 30-day readmission rates have dropped to zero percent. "The Cardiac Heart Failure Initiative is just one more example of the commitment by Owatonna Hospital and Owatonna Clinic in collaborating together to deliver exceptional care that our patients expect and deserve," said Dorothy Erdmann, president, Owatonna Hospital. The collaboration involves a multidisciplinary team, consisting of a physician, nurses, pharmacist and dietitian to provide care and support better outcomes for patients. Physician lead for the initiative Simon Mittal, M.D. and internist with Owatonna Clinic, agreed that the teamwork between the clinic and hospital were key in the success of this initiative. "It requires close coordination of staff from the hospital and the clinic to follow a process of diagnosis, treatment, evaluation and follow up that benefit our patients and community." Sharon Kapp, RN and Inpatient Care manager, Owatonna Hospital; and Brian Bunkers, MD and CEO of the Owatonna Clinic; accepted the award on behalf of the hospital and clinic, respectively. Allina Hospitals & Clinics also were presented with two additional awards during the banquet. They included Buffalo Hospital for the Best Minnesota Hospital Workplace Award; and Dick Pettingill, CEO & president, Allina Hospitals & Clinics for the Spirit of Advocacy Award. Pettingill received this award for his leadership in several areas, including the successful passage of the Freedom to Breathe Act, which made all Minnesota workplaces smoke free in 2007; the founding of the Minnesota Health Information Exchange, which will enhance the interoperability of the electronic medical record systems at hospitals throughout Minnesota; and commitments made to fighting childhood obesity and promoting heart safe communities. Owatonna Hospital provides a full range of health care services including a birth center, emergency care, mental health, cardiac care, orthopedics, rehabilitation, medical imaging and surgery. About Owatonna HospitalThe new Owatonna Hospital will be connected to the current Owatonna Clinic-Mayo Health System 26th Street location, off Interstate 35, creating a health care campus. The facility will be designed to create an environment for providing high quality, safe, patient-centered care for residents in the region. Owatonna Hospital and Allina Hospitals & Clinics are taking a leadership role to promote healthy eating and physical activity through their heart healthy living and obesity initiatives with an emphasis on childhood obesity. Over the next five years, Allina and Owatonna Hospital will be working with community organizations to improve nutrition and increase physical activity to decrease obesity and improve heart health.
# # # Related LinksResources for patients with heart failure Allina Hospitals & Clinics receives three prestigious Minnesota Hospital Association awards |