Thursday, February 18, 2010
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Respiratory Care Earns National Quality Award for Eighth Year |
North Kansas City Hospital has again earned the Quality Respiratory Care Recognition (QRCR) award for the 8th year in a row under a national program aimed at helping patients and families make informed decisions about the quality of the respiratory care services available in hospitals.
About 700 hospitals out of 5,000 hospitals or approximately 14% of all hospitals in the United States have applied for and received this award. This is the 8th consecutive year that NKCH has earned this prestigious award.
The QRCR program was started by the American Association for Respiratory Care to assist consumers in identifying those facilities using only qualified respiratory therapists to provide respiratory care. Hospitals earning the QRCR designation ensure patient safety by agreeing to adhere to a strict set of criteria governing their respiratory care services. A list of QRCR hospitals is maintained at the association’s website for consumers at www.YourLungHealth.org.
To qualify for the recognition, NKCH provided documentation showing that it meets the following conditions:
• All respiratory therapists employed by the hospital to deliver respiratory care services are licensed by the state of Missouri and hold the credential of Registered Respiratory Therapist or Certified Respiratory Therapist and are proven to be clinically competent to provide respiratory care services.
• Licensed respiratory therapists are available 24 hours per day 7 days per week.
• A doctor of medicine or osteopathy is designated as the medical director of respiratory care services.
The AARC’s QRCR program grew out of growing concerns among health care leaders and the general public regarding the safety of health care services provided to patients. Hospitals that meet the QRCR requirements provide a level of respiratory care that is consistent with or exceed national standards and guidelines, and should be commended for their commitment to quality, compassionate, cost effective care.
The respiratory therapists of North Kansas City Hospital are specially trained and licensed health care professionals. The combined experience of the staff of NKCH’s Respiratory Care Services Department and Sleep Health Center is in excess of 450 years. These highly trained, licensed and experienced therapists work under physician’s orders to provide a wide range of ventilator management, breathing treatments, supportive therapies, testing, and education along with other services to people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, cancer, AIDS, sleep disorders, and other lung and lung related conditions. They also care for premature infants and are key members of the lifesaving response or STAT Team and emergency preparedness teams charged with handling the broad range of medical emergencies at NKCH.
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