EVMS-led partnership earns national awards

Story Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:39:00 EST

A program spearheaded by EVMS and focused on patient safety earned two national awards this month from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

HRSA awarded the Change Package Award and the Life-Saving Safety Patient Award to the EVMS Patient Safety and Clinical Pharmacy Services Collaborative (PSPC) for being a leading example for other PSPC teams and for improving patient safety through detection and reduction of adverse drug events.

The EVMS PSPC is a collaborative partnership consisting of the EVMS Center for Comprehensive Care of Immune Deficiency, the EVMS AIDS Resource and Consultation Center, the Three Rivers Health District, the Eastern Shore Health District, the Virginia Department of Health, the First Light Group LLC, the Virginia Health Quality Center and the Virginia Medicare Quality Improvement Organization.

The HRSA established the PSPC system to ensure that healthcare delivered by safety net providers is the best and safest in the nation.

For patients with chronic disease conditions, a lack of coordinated care across healthcare providers – primary care physicians, specialists, pharmacies and emergency departments – negatively impacts the safety and quality of care delivered. Without coordinated care, there are increased risks of adverse drug events related to duplication of therapy, interactions or incorrect drugs or dosages. In fact, adverse drug events continue to be a leading cause of death and injury in the United States. Clinical pharmacy services such as those encouraged by the PSPC have been demonstrated to improve adherence and medication use, and to prevent the occurrence of adverse drug events.