FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: John Marshall, Communications Director
Telephone: 314-842-8655 Ex.189
Email: jmarshall@signaturehealth.net
Website: http://www.signaturefoundation.org
Signature Healthcare Foundation Presents Senator Paul Simon Award to SSM Health Care St. Louis
( St. Louis, November 3, 2005) The Signature Healthcare Foundation is pleased to announce the presentation of the first Paul Simon Award to SSM Health Care St. Louis (SSMHC) for their Blood Conservation Steering Team. The award recognizes creative and effective methods to save money and increase business efficiency in the health care system.
To garner the award SSMHC used a team approach to initiate a creative process for the use of blood and blood products. After identifying blood and blood products as the second most costly supply item in its St. Louis Network, a team comprised of physicians, nurses, blood bank managers, material management personnel and data analysts identified three specific areas for potential savings.
- Restricting phlebotomy (the drawing of blood for clinical testing and diagnosis)
- Reducing autologous transfusions (patients donating their own blood prior to surgery)
- Standardizing and improving adherence to evidence based transfusion criteria.
The result was a 20% annual reduction in the cost of blood and blood products totaling $1.4 million in savings.
According to Herman Noah, President of the Signature Healthcare Foundation Board, “The Foundation is pleased to recognize the efforts made by the SSMHC St. Louis team in an effort to creatively reduce health care costs. We look forward to recognizing the spirit of the late Senator by awarding future Paul Simon Awards.”
The Signature Health Care Foundation
Signature Health Care Foundation was formed in 2002 by Signature Health Services, Inc., with a vision to “be a recognized leader in the local and national health care dialogue and spearhead physician leadership in improvements and efficiencies in the health care delivery system.” The mission of the Foundation is to utilize physician leadership to improve the quality, efficiency and affordability of health care in the St. Louis area and nationally. Grants are awarded to not-for-profit organizations that attend the Foundation's annual policy forum. This year's forum was held on the morning of Thursday, November 3, at the Frontenac Hilton.
About SSM Health Care
ith 7 hospitals, 2,000 staff physicians and nearly 11,000 employees, SSM Health Care-St. Louis is committed to serving the comprehensive health needs of St. Louis area residents. Sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of Mary, the health care network includes SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, SSM DePaul Health Center, SSM St. Joseph Health Center, St. Charles, SSM St. Joseph Health Center-Wentzville, SSM St. Joseph Hospital West, SSM St. Joseph Hospital of Kirkwood, SSM St. Mary's Health Center and SSM Rehab, plus three medical groups: SSM St. Charles Clinic Medical Group, SSM Medical Group and SSM DePaul Medical Group. Its parent organization, SSM Health Care System, also based in St. Louis, in 2002 became the first health care recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The system owns, operates and manages hospitals and nursing homes in four states: Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin and Oklahoma.
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