“CaroMont Health’s commitment to excellence in patient care is demonstrated through continual improvement of clinical and organizational performance, said Jan Mathews, Assistant Vice President of Quality Management.

“Implementation of this process takes place through the design, measurement, assessment, and improvement of new and existing processes. This commitment is evident in our emergency department with redesign of patient flow which allows the best quality of care to take place in a timely manner. Our community can be assured their individual needs will be addressed upon entering the doors of Gaston Memorial Hospital Emergency Department.”

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About CaroMont Health
As your locally focused, nationally honored health partner, CaroMont Health is promoting a more vibrant community through individual health care. To do this, we’ve created a network of top resources across five counties, all centered on a state-of-the-art, 435-bed hospital that’s ranked among the best in the nation. It’s a spectrum of health services that’s just the right size to deliver high-quality, individualized care that has been recognized by the following experts:

• CareChex rating service: First in the nation for medical excellence for overall care
• Region’s only  Hospital to receive  North Carolina’s Award for Performance Excellence (Baldrige) 
• Joint Commission: Top Performer on Key Quality Measures for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care.

Learn More

To the members of our community:

Many of you might have read recently that a medication error occurred while two patients were in our care in November. I regret that a mistake was made and I am grateful that both patients have recovered. While human errors occur in every environment, it is especially troubling when they occur in a healthcare setting. As we did in this situation, our practice is to investigate how something like this happened and to immediately notify the patient and the family. We then began the work of identifying how the error occurred and put steps in place to make sure it does not happen again.

CaroMont Health, like every hospital, is concerned about errors. Like other hospitals, we have processes to prevent errors, such as on-going staff education, patient safety committees to identify potential errors and the use of technology and software to create safeguards. This commitment starts with the Board of Directors and continues throughout our organization.

I am also committed to ensuring that we are not defined by a mistake we make, but rather how we respond to it. As regrettable as this event is, we consider this an opportunity to learn from our mistakes and an opportunity to continuously improve the quality of care that we provide. I realize that this has been a difficult period of time for the patients and families involved and for the many members of our workforce who have followed the story. We all are committed to safe care for all our patients.

I am proud to be associated with over 3,800 employees, 275 volunteers and 450 members of the medical staff who are our friends, family and neighbors. This team works tirelessly each day to provide exceptional care to our patients and I want to publicly thank these caregivers for the important work they do.

CaroMont Health has an unwavering commitment to provide excellent care to the patients we serve.

Your continued support and understanding are important to us and we look forward to working with you to improve the health status of our community.

Sincerely,
Randall L. Kelley, President and CEO

Read More

Q & A with CaroMont’s New CEO, Randall Kelley
Gaston County Health Coalition
Clostridium Difficile Colitis
A Word From Caromont Surgical Associates
CaroMont Preoperative Consultants
Gaston Memorial Direct Admit Process
Palliative Care

Q & A with CaroMont’s New CEO,
Randall Kelley

Randall Kelley
CaroMont CEO

Randall Kelley, 53, has recently taken the reins as President and CEO of CaroMont Health. The Michigan native and industry veteran recently shared his perspectives on the future of the health-care field, what is in store for CaroMont and how Gaston County can expect him to lead the local health-care system.How long have you been in health-care administration and how did you wind up in the field?

I began my career at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit on May 1, 1979. I took a summer business internship at the end of my junior year at University of Michigan. I was expected to intern that summer as a recruiter in the Human Resource Department but due to an unexpected resignation of the person training me I was invited to stay at Henry Ford full time and finished my senior year on a part time basis.

What was it about CaroMont that attracted you?
This organization is really doing some remarkable work. In terms of low-cost, high-quality healthcare, CaroMont is where most systems aspire to be. I was also attracted to this position as I see this as an organization and opportunity that will be a fitting conclusion to my career. I plan to finish my career at CaroMont. We were also attracted to the Gastonia area.

CaroMont is one of the county’s largest employers and people tend to see healthcare as a savior. It’s touted as recession proof. People flock to nursing and technician programs at the community college thinking they’ll always have a job. Do you think that’s the case?
When you look at most communities across the country, health care is one of the top employers. While there’s some insulation from the general economy, I think we will see that change with the impending changes in health care being driven from Washington as well as on state and local levels. In recent years, this nation’s job growth has typically come out of education and health care. We may see that stall as reimbursement declines in all payor classes. There’s going to be a need for all of us to be very flexible in the way we do our jobs as all of health care is going to get more efficient. There’s no choice. But from my view, health care is still the best place to be.

Tell us a little about yourself outside the office.
My wife, Kathy, and I have been married since 1984. We have one daughter, Allison who is newly married and lives in Knoxville with our wonderful new son-in-law, John. It’s just three hours or so to their driveway, so that’s another huge advantage to being in Gastonia. I am a rabid college football fan and have been attending University of Michigan home football games since my freshman year in 1976. I attended every home game this year!

Gaston Memorial Direct Admit Process

As a reminder for primary care physicians, Gaston Memorial has an organized chart which describes the approach to direct admissions for many different types of cases. Most admissions require a decision whether or not cardiac monitoring is needed as this requires a different pathway. OB admissions are not described on the document that was approved by the Medical Executive Committee on April 5, 2010. It is good to note, not all admissions need to pass thru the ER – this can decrease cost and make a smoother transition for some patients. Download Gaston Memorial Direct Admit Process Charts.

Palliative Care

Palliative Medicine aims to improve the quality of life for patients with serious illnesses by assisting with pain control and other distressingsymptoms as well as coordinating overall care. Led by George Bell, MD, along with Kelly Acevedo, NP, CaroMont Inpatient Program will be a consult that will help with care transition, family support, advance directive planning and symptom support. CaroMont Outpatient Program will not take over a patient’s primary care provider, but will assist with care transitions, symptom control, counseling by a social worker, and hospice interface. Download a presentation on Palliative Medicine.

Gastonia, NC – January 27, 2012 – On January 19, 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services conducted a survey of Gaston Memorial Hospital (GMH) which resulted in an Immediate Jeopardy finding. GMH was cited for deficiencies related to the Medicare Conditions of Participation. The deficiencies resulted from an incident that occurred in November, involving the failure of nursing staff to follow medication verification policies and procedures. The incident was immediately identified and a corrective action plan was initiated at that time.

In order to have the Immediate Jeopardy status removed, the hospital is required to submit its Plan of Correction to CMS no later than February 3, 2012. CMS will evaluate the Plan of Correction and conduct a full validation survey of GMH’s compliance with the Medicare Conditions of Participation. Like CMS, we recognize the seriousness of this isolated incident and are confident that CMS will be satisfied with the actions we are taking to ensure our patients are not at risk.

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About CaroMont Health
As your locally focused, nationally honored health partner, CaroMont Health is promoting a more vibrant community through individual health care. To do this, we’ve created a network of top resources across five counties, all centered on a state-of-the-art, 435-bed hospital that’s ranked among the best in the nation. It’s a spectrum of health services that’s just the right size to deliver high-quality, individualized care that has been recognized by the following experts:

• CareChex rating service: First in the nation in medical excellence for overall hospital care
• Region’s only Hospital to receive North Carolina’s Award for Performance Excellence (Baldrige)
• Joint Commission: Top Performer on Key Quality Measures for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care.

Gastonia, N.C. – December 21, 2011 – Santa is not the only one checking Christmas lists this year. This morning Barbara Gibson in Pastoral Care at CaroMont Health helped load up cars with gifts that would be given out to over 50 children in Gaston County for Christmas. This number exceeds last year’s Christmas giving.

Since 2002, CaroMont Health employees participate in the Christmas Angels Program that provides Christmas gifts to children who have been identified through the Gaston County Family YMCA and Woodhill School with programs for underprivileged youth.

“Every year, employees call ahead to ask what they can do for Christmas Angels even before I can send out the request,” said Barbara Gibson. “Departments who participate go above and beyond what a child requests because they are so passionate about helping.”

For the last nine years, Phyllis Davis-Brown picks up Chrismtas gifts on behalf of the YMCA. She along with her sister, Jada Fewell, had their vehicles packed to the hilt with gifts to go to children this week. Phyllis, the Financial Development /Outreach Director, recalls her years working with CaroMont to provide children ages 4 to teenage years who are a part of one of the three Y programs, Y-Pals, Y-Life and Strengthening Families.

“Christmas Angels is God’s way of extending his hand through our programs to reach these children every year,” said Phyllis.

Phyllis sees an increase in the number of people who give each year despite the current economic climate.

“It makes Phyllis happy when she can make a child smile,” said Jada Fewell.

The youth receiving these gifts provided a list of items they identified as a need. One child asked for a blanket for Christmas, but CaroMont employees stuffed gift boxes with way more than that out of a grateful and thankful heart to bless others at Christmas.

“Every year we are presented with a need through this program, and every year employees respond over and above,” said Barbara. “It is Christmas for real.”

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About CaroMont Health
As your locally focused, nationally honored health partner, CaroMont Health is promoting a more vibrant community through individual health care. To do this, we’ve created a network of top resources across five counties, all centered on a state-of-the-art, 435-bed hospital that’s ranked among the best in the nation. It’s a spectrum of health services that’s just the right size to deliver high-quality, individualized care that has been recognized by the following experts:

• CareChex rating service: First in the nation for medical excellence for overall care
• Region’s only  Hospital to receive  North Carolina’s Award for Performance Excellence (Baldrige) 
• Joint Commission: Top Performer on Key Quality Measures for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care.

So get to know CaroMont, and let’s begin a healthy relationship. 

Contact:
Dallas Wilborn
CaroMont Health
(704)834-2226

Click Here for a link to the full article.

Contact:
Dallas Wilborn
CaroMont Health
(704)834-2226

Gastonia, NC – October 17, 2011 – CaroMont Health is # 1 in the nation for overall medical care in the 2012 CareChex America’s Top Quality Hospitals rankings. CaroMont Health was also:
#1 in the Market for Medical Excellence in

• Overall Hospital Care
• Overall Surgical Care
• Major Cardiac Surgery
• Carotid Artery Surgery
• Coronary Bypass Surgery
• Heart Attack Treatment
• Joint Replacement
• Neurological Care
• Major Orthopedic Surgery
• Pneumonia Care
• Pulmonary Care
• Spinal Fusion
• Stroke Care
• Vascular Surgery

“The CaroMont Health vision states that we are a nationally recognized leader and valued partner in promoting individual health and vibrant communities,” said acting CEO Doug Luckett. “This kind of top-level national recognition shows that we walk the talk when it comes to quality care.”

CareChex is a medical quality rating service of The Delta Group — the nation’s largest privately-held healthcare information service company. CareChex provides clinical, financial, and patient satisfaction findings to consumers, providers, and purchasers of U.S. medical care. Unlike other publicly available hospital quality ratings, CareChex provides a comprehensive evaluation of all components of medical quality including process of care, outcomes of care, and patient experiences.

The # 1 national ranking comes on the heels of several other accolades for CaroMont Health’s quality care. In September, CaroMont was named one of the nation’s Top Performers on Key Quality Measures by The Joint Commission. This summer, CaroMont’s Gaston Memorial Hospital was ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s 2011-12 Best Hospitals.

“We are very proud of the fact that the national medical community is taking notice of the quality care that patients can receive in Gastonia, N.C.,” Luckett said. “We believe that good health is a key component to quality of life. We are proud to be contributing to the great quality of life in our community, and we are happy to be spreading that message across the nation.”

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About CaroMont Health
As your locally focused, nationally honored health partner, CaroMont Health is promoting a more vibrant community through individual health care. To do this, we’ve created a network of top resources across five counties, all centered on a state-of-the-art, 435-bed hospital that’s ranked among the best in the nation. It’s a spectrum of health services that’s just the right size to deliver high-quality, individualized care that has been recognized by the following experts:

• CareChex rating service: First in the nation in medical excellence for overall hospital care
• Region’s only Hospital to receive North Carolina’s Award for Performance Excellence (Baldrige)
• Joint Commission: Top Performer on Key Quality Measures for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care.

So get to know CaroMont, and let’s begin a healthy relationship.