Protecting Our Patients
It should go without saying that in medicine there’s no room for mistakes. It’s reasonable to expect your medical team to provide the safest, most effective care possible.
In reality, however, the practice of medicine is like any other profession – open to errors and inaccuracies. People aren’t perfect. And the ever-expanding volume of medical knowledge makes it increasingly complex to deliver the highest standard of care.
99% Patient Safety Score
But although that may explain mistakes, it doesn’t excuse them. At The Ghosh Center, we believe the possibility of mistakes calls us to be exceptionally vigilant. Our patients-first philosophy prioritizes the safety of the people entrusted to our care. Our commitment has been recognized with our Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence award, where patients rank us in the 99th percentile across the board and in this important area: How well our staff protects safety.
Our Next Big Goal
We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished in our first five years. And we’re setting high standards for the years to come. Our next big goal?
ZERO
By this, we mean zero errors in all we do. While we acknowledge that mistakes are possible, we also believe they’re avoidable. So we’re taking specific steps to eliminate them.
Zero-Error Office
The concept of zero errors is a way of thinking about and acting on the belief that errors are not acceptable. Although the concept originated in the defense industry, it is gaining momentum in medicine. In healthcare, it’s based on:
A relentless commitment to patients first
A tenacious focus on getting the details right
A dedicated drive to continuous improvement
According to Elizabeth Dunphy, RN, of Virginia Mason Medical Center, “We can’t make health care perfect until we make every single process perfect. So it’s to the level of detail of every syringe, every bowl, every basin, anything you touch needs to be done correctly.”
That’s exactly where we are.
Nailing the Details
Patients first is part of our DNA. To get the details right, we use checklists for all key procedures. For example, before a patient begins treatment, we go through a 19-step checklist, making sure that baseline labs have been completed, chemotherapy education has been scheduled and pre-treatment medications have been given. One important item on the list ensures that a patient’s planned treatment meets NCCN guidelines. This verifies that we’re following the evidence-based guidelines of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an organization devoted to improving the quality and effectiveness of cancer care.
Continuous Improvement
Our commitment to making things better is a team initiative. Dr. Ghosh has created a culture where everyone’s voice matters, where it’s safe to raise concerns and where we tackle things as a team. If a problem occurs, it’s not okay to ignore it or explain it away. We bring it to the team’s attention, and the team takes ownership for fixing it.
We review what happened, determine the cause and identify possible solutions. Once we have a proven solution, it becomes our new standard.
Benefits of a Small Team
Our size is one of our strengths. It helps that we have a small, close-knit team that communicates constantly and coordinates every interaction. We respect and trust one another and share the same values. Which lets us live up to The Ghosh Center purpose – the best, safest care for our patients.