Quality counts

As part of Prisma Health’s 52 Zero Harm Awards for 2021 – about 25% of all the awards given in the state by the SC Hospital Association – five were earned for having no incidence of CLABSI in pediatric areas: • Baptist Hospital: NICU • Greenville Memorial Hospital: Pediatric Oncology,

NICU 2, PICU • Richland Hospital: PICU (see photo below)

Congratulations to all involved for your dedication to providing high-quality care, especially in the face of COVID-19 challenges!

The University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia is the top medical program in the country for graduates practicing in areas with a shortage of healthcare professionals, according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate School rankings released in March. It is the second year in a row the school has maintained top ranking.

“We are proud to be producing graduates who are committed to providing exceptional patient care to underserved communities,” said the school’s dean, Les Hall, MD. “Our school was established to create a pipeline of quality healthcare professionals for South Carolina. These rankings are a clear illustration that we are achieving that mission.” Congratulations to Cady Williams, MD, and Kent Jones, MD, who received the 2021 State Telehealth Champion Award! This is the highest state-level telehealth award an individual can receive for developing an innovative, highimpact program using digital health technologies.

The pair’s Enhanced Video Visit program equips families of children with complex medical needs with TytoCare exam kits. These kits empower family members to facilitate high-quality physical exams that must otherwise be conducted in a practice and/or by the care team.

This new care model, along with the teams who support it, are already making a positive impact on quality, cost reduction, patient/family comfort and patient satisfaction. The team’s Net Promoter Score month-after-month since April 2021’s National Research Corporation go-live continues to be a perfect 100!

To watch a short video of how this care model works, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbwthiuEi8E.

Cady Williams, MD Kent Jones, MD

Despite a national board pass rate of approximately 80% in 2021 for pediatrics, the pass rate across Prisma Health in pediatrics was a full 100%!

For internal medicine-pediatrics, the pass rate at Prisma Health from 2020 was also 100%. 2020 figures are used as this cohort must pass both pediatric and internal medicine boards, which will often occur over a two-year span (taking one board one year and one the next).

This success is a testament to not only the hard work by the residents themselves, but also to the educational efforts of our Midlands and Upstate faculty, as both regions have an exceptional tradition of residents passing their exams.