WELLSBORO, PA—Soldiers + Sailors Memorial Hospital has been named a 2009 Quality Respiratory Care Provider for the eighth year in a row. The program focuses on ensuring patients have access to respiratory care services provided by a qualified respiratory therapist. Currently, about 700 hospitals, or approximately 15% of hospitals, in the United States have applied for and received this award.
The Quality Respiratory Care Recognition program (QRCR) was started by the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) in 2003 to help consumers make informed choices about health care. The AARC is a membership organization representing more than 30,000 health care professionals involved in respiratory care nationwide.
Hospitals recognized under the program ensure patient safety by agreeing to adhere to a strict set of criteria governing their respiratory care services. To qualify for the recognition, Cardiopulmonary Services at Soldiers + Sailors Memorial Hospital met the following conditions.
• All respiratory therapists employed by the hospital to deliver bedside respiratory care services are either legally recognized by the state as competent to provide respiratory care services or hold the CRT or RRT credentials.
• Respiratory Therapists are available 24 hours a day.
• Other personnel qualified to perform specific respiratory care procedures and the amount of supervision required for personnel to carry out specific procedures must be designated in writing.
• A doctor of medicine or osteopathy is designated as medical director of Respiratory Care services.
Soldiers + Sailors Memorial Hospital Therapists are both legally recognized and hold the CRT and/or RRT credentials. Twenty-four hour in-house coverage is provided seven days a week.
The AARC’s QRCR program grew out of growing concerns among health care leaders and the general public regarding the safety and quality of health care services provided to patients. Hospitals that meet the QRCR requirements provide a level of respiratory care consistent with national standards and guidelines and should be commended for their commitment to quality care.
Respiratory Therapists are specially trained healthcare professionals who work under the physician’s orders to provide a wide range of breathing treatments and other services to people with asthma, chronic pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, AIDS, and other lung related conditions. They also care for premature infants and are key members of lifesaving response teams charged with handling medical emergencies.
The full 2010 list of QRCR hospitals will be posted electronically on April 15, 2010 on the association’s website at www.yourlunghealth.org.