• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Tenet Receives Grant From Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; 18-Month Project to Study Impact of Rapid Response Teams on Patient Safety

Posted on: Tuesday, 13 December 2005, 09:00 CST

Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE:THC) announced today that it has received a $150,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to help study how rapid response teams can improve patient safety and quality outcomes.

A rapid response team (RRT) is a small medical emergency team comprised of hospital staff with expertise in assisting physicians and nurses in assessing patient symptoms in potentially life-threatening situations. This practice provides assistance to patients before they reach a more critical point of distress, when they are at greater risk of serious complications.

"We are pleased to be selected to participate in this project," said Trevor Fetter, Tenet's president and chief executive officer. "The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's mission to improve health and the health care of all Americans resonates with Tenet's commitment to providing quality health care to the patients and communities it serves."

"Because Tenet has made clinical excellence its strategy through its Commitment to Quality program, we have the national hospital infrastructure to provide valuable data for this project," said Jennifer Daley, M.D., Tenet chief medical officer and senior vice president for clinical quality. "Tenet is committed to quality, and our leadership team is continually looking for new processes, procedures and opportunities to increase patient safety. We are excited to be participating in this project and to add to the national dialogue concerning patient safety."

The 18-month project will help implement rapid response teams in 25 Tenet hospitals. Tenet will support and educate chief nursing officers and medical emergency team staff in the selected hospitals on how to implement RRTs with a goal of preventing potential codes and improving patient outcomes. Tenet will share its data and lessons learned during the implementation along with eight other hospital systems, associations and foundations across the nation selected to participate in the RRT initiative.

Tenet Healthcare Corporation, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates acute care hospitals and related health care services. Tenet's hospitals aim to provide the best possible care to every patient who comes through their doors, with a clear focus on quality and service. Tenet can be found on the World Wide Web at www.tenethealth.com.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 30 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.

Some of the statements in this release may constitute forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on our current expectations and could be affected by numerous factors and are subject to various risks and uncertainties discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2004, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and periodic reports on Form 8-K. Do not rely on any forward-looking statement, as we cannot predict or control many of the factors that ultimately may affect our ability to achieve the results estimated. We make no promise to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of changes in underlying factors, new information, future events or otherwise.

Source: Business Wire

More News in this Category