Scott Memorial Health Named LifePoint Health National Quality Leader

Hospital recognized for achievements in patient and family engagement, quality care and patient safety

SCOTTSBURG, Ind.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Scott Memorial Health today announced that it has been named a LifePoint Health National Quality Leader. This designation recognizes hospitals within the LifePoint Health system that have enrolled in the LifePoint National Quality Program and succeeded in transforming their culture of safety and achieving high standards of quality care, performance improvement and patient engagement.

“Achieving designation as a LifePoint Health National Quality Leader means our hospital sets the bar high in delivering high-quality care and providing exceptional service for those we are privileged to serve,” said Martin Padgett, chief executive officer (CEO) of Scott Memorial Health. “Because of the tireless efforts and commitment of the Scott team, our patients and community can rest assured that a strong culture of safety exists at our facility, and we look forward to continuing to advance how we deliver quality care close to home.”

Scott Memorial Health is a 25-bed critical access hospital that has served the people of Scott County for 63 years. To achieve LifePoint Health National Quality Leader designation, the Scott Memorial team worked to implement a number of best practices and launched new initiatives to engage patients and families, enhance patient safety and improve quality care.

Over the past several years, the hospital has worked to:

  • Bridge the gap between acute care and skilled nursing care via its swing bed unit, which enables the patient to transition from the hospital to home. Scott Memorial is one of the few facilities that care for COVID-19-positive patients in this setting;
  • Increase access to a wide variety of specialty care services close to home, including Surgery, Cardiology, Urology, Oncology, Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) and Nephrology; and
  • Actively participate in state and nationwide quality teams to help prevent medical errors in healthcare and keep our patients safe.

“Scott Memorial Health consistently delivers when it comes to ensuring the highest standards of quality and patient safety, and we are pleased to recognize this hospital as the newest LifePoint Health National Quality Leader,” said Jason Zachariah, executive vice president and chief operating officer of LifePoint Health. “The team’s exceptional work advances our mission of Making Communities Healthier in meaningful ways, and we could not be more proud of their accomplishments and the example they set for all of our facilities across the LifePoint network.”

When hospitals enroll in the National Quality Program, they begin working with LifePoint quality experts to evaluate and strengthen their quality programs and processes. Following an initial evaluation, the hospital creates a plan and begins to employ changes that will help it achieve quality improvement benchmarks and establish long-term solutions to sustain its results.

In addition to evaluating common quality care and patient safety metrics, the LifePoint National Quality Program focuses on foundational elements required to sustain quality care, including committed leadership, systems to ensure continuous performance and process improvement, and a culture dedicated to safety. LifePoint Health National Quality Leader designation denotes those hospitals that have achieved a broad range of criteria in each of these areas and demonstrate a capacity to continuously measure and improve quality and patient safety.

“We are excited to achieve this important designation, but quality improvement is a never-ending journey for our team,” said Gearl Dean Williams, director of quality and case management for Scott Memorial Health. “We work hard to ensure our patients can receive safe, high-quality care and are always looking for opportunities to improve. It is all about our team members and how they have embraced the tools and processes necessary to create a strong culture of safety for our patients, team members and our providers.”

About Scott Memorial Health

Scott Memorial Health, a 25-bed community hospital located in Scottsburg, Indiana, has been providing care to Scott County and its neighboring communities since 1959. Scott Memorial is part of the Regional Health Network of Kentucky and Southern Indiana, a joint venture between LifePoint Health and Norton Healthcare. The hospital, fully accredited by the Joint Commission, features private rooms with private baths and is a 93,852 square-foot medical facility. Scott Memorial Health has a 24-hour physician staffed Emergency Department and provides a comprehensive list of inpatient and outpatient services including: pharmacy, cardiac rehab, laboratory services, dietary, physical therapy, medical imaging, Med/Surg/Telemetry, ICU, nuclear medicine and CT, endoscopy, general and orthopedic surgical services, and a swing bed unit, which allows patients to participate in their own care and continue their recovery before ever leaving the hospital. The hospital has a medical staff of approximately 122 providers and is a leading employer in Scott County.