Valley Presbyterian Hospital Awarded California Community Foundation Grant, Hospital Awarded Grant to fund Medication Reconciliation Pilot Program
Van Nuys, CA (PRWEB) July 29, 2014 -- Valley Presbyterian Hospital is pleased to announce the award of a $100,000 grant from the California Community Foundation to fund the implementation of a medication reconciliation pilot program in the Emergency Department.
The program is designed to increase patient safety by verifying that each patient’s medication orders are compared to all of the medications that the patient has been taking. The process will reduce the risk of medication order duplications, omissions, dosage errors and drug interactions.
“On behalf of our staff, patients and community, we would like to thank the California Community Foundation for its generosity and support in helping to fund this program,” said Pegi Matsuda, Senior Vice President of Community and Market Development at Valley Presbyterian Hospital. “The safety and well-being of our patients is our top priority, and the medication reconciliation program will help us uphold that commitment.”
With over 60,000 patient visits each year, Valley Presbyterian Hospital’s Emergency Department is one of the busiest in the Valley. The establishment of a medication reconciliation program will allow the hospital to improve patient outcomes and ease the transition of care process, while reducing readmission rates. Under the supervision of a licensed clinical pharmacist, four pharmacy technicians will work with patients in the Emergency Room to create accurate medication lists as baselines for their treatment. The medication reconciliation process generates the most accurate, complete medication list, and consists of several main steps, including communicating the new list to both the patient and caregiver(s).
“Valley Presbyterian Hospital has been working to improve the quality of health care in the San Fernando Valley since 1958,” said Rosemary Veniegas, Program Officer, Health Care, for the California Community Foundation. “California Community Foundation is proud to be part of this vitally important pilot program that will help to prevent medication errors and continue to improve the quality of health care in the region.”
About Valley Presbyterian Hospital
Valley Presbyterian Hospital (VPH) is an independent, nonprofit and nonsectarian hospital serving the medical needs of the San Fernando Valley community for more than 50 years. VPH has grown to become one of the largest acute care hospitals in the Valley region and continues to provide patient-centered care for a healthy community. The 350-bed facility offers advanced technology and a full range of medical services to improve and save lives. For more information, visit http://www.valleypres.org.
Susan von Seggern, Casparian Marketing Communications, +1 (213) 840-0077, [email protected]
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