APS Launches Second Annual California Patient Safety Initiative, Providing Expanded Online Education for Hospitals and Clinician

Boston, MA, October 13, 2009 -- Advanced Practiced Strategies (APS), a leading provider of online education solutions for patient safety, today announced the launch of its Second Annual California Patient Safety Initiative. The statewide initiative enables hospitals to access APS’s best-in-class online patient safety education at significant savings by joining together with other regional hospitals to achieve a combined volume discount.

The 2009 initiative builds on the success of last year’s Perinatal Safety Initiative, through which 3,000 doctors and nurses at nearly 60 hospitals throughout the state received a 38% discount on education focusing on the primary drivers of obstetrical risk. Course subjects included electronic fetal heart monitoring (EFM), shoulder dystocia, operative vaginal delivery, and SBAR+R Communications.

The 2009 Initiative expands the course offerings to encompass additional areas of risk, including surgery, safe prescribing practices, and chronic pain management. The Initiative also includes additional courses in the perinatal area, such as postpartum hemorrhage and competency maintenance in EFM.

“In spite of challenging times, hospitals in California have shown tremendous commitment to improving patient care by partnering with us in last year’s Perinatal Safety Initiative, and feedback has been tremendously positive,” said Dennis Ferrill, CEO of APS. “By expanding the Initiative, we can respond more fully to the patient safety needs of California hospitals, while also making the education accessible to as many clinicians in as possible, regardless of size or budget constraints.”

The APS Perinatal Safety Courses have delivered proven results as part of a multifaceted approach to risk management. Hospital Corporation of America has reduced its perinatal claims by over 48% by adopting a comprehensive national safety initiative featuring APS perinatal education.

Beta Healthcare Group (BHG), the largest medical malpractice carrier in California, launched an incentive campaign during the 2008 Initiative providing 5% premium discounts to hospitals committed to completing their OB Initiative, which included perinatal safety courses, while also covering 50% of the course costs for participating hospitals. Based on the success of that program, BHG will extend the incentive to additional hospitals taking part in the 2009 Initiative, as well as expand the breadth of the courses included.

"BHG is committed to providing our hospitals with access to the best patient safety training resources available, and APS's quality of content, use of graphics, and interactive learning design really is the gold standard," said Annie Herlik, RN, JD, CPHRM, Vice President of Risk Management at Beta Healthcare Group. "Feedback from clinicians has been overwhelmingly positive, so we're very excited to expand the initiative to more hospitals in 2009 and to offer more course content, such as Postpartum Hemorrhage."

Expanded Course Offerings

The expanded 2009 California Initiative will encompass the original core perinatal content, including Advanced Fetal Assessment and Monitoring, Managing Shoulder Dystocia, Operative Vaginal Delivery and SBAR+R Communications. Expanded course content includes:

Patient Safety Bundle:
• Errors and Injury in Healthcare
• Using Systems Theory to Prevent Errors and Injury in Healthcare
• Changing Systems

General Practice:
• Safe Prescribing Practices
• Safe Prescribing Environments
• Chronic Pain Management
• SBAR+R: Structuring Communication in Health Care

Surgery:
• Reducing Error in the Operating Room
• Surgical Safety Toolkits
• SBAR+R: Structuring Communication in Health Care
• Bariatric Surgery

Additional Perinatal Courses:
• Introduction to EFM (for entry level nurses)
• Postpartum Hemorrhage

Joining the Initiative:
Hospitals interested in joining the initiative can contact APS at hstephenson@aps-web.com for more information or to obtain an Indication of Commitment form. This non-binding form provides APS with an estimate of how many clinician training seats each hospital would consider purchasing. APS then aggregates this number from all hospitals to determine the size of the state-wide discount. The first commitment date for the 2009 Initiative is October 16, 2009.

About APS:
Advanced Practice Strategies is an independent, Boston-based company dedicated to improving the lives of both patients and their caregivers through effective, innovative education solutions. Our flexible, state-of-the-art eLearning program has helped hospitals and clinicians reduce risk and enhance patient safety across the country. Our demonstrative evidence group is the nation's leading provider of medical illustrations for courtroom defense against medical malpractice claims. APS strategic partners include the Risk Management Foundation of the Harvard Medical Institutions and the Hospital Corporation of America. For more information, visit www.aps-web.com.

Press Contact:
Shonna Keogan
Advanced Practice Strategies
192 South Street, Suite 500
Boston, MA 02111
917-660-7462
shonna@skeogan.com
http://aps-web.com

New Patient Safety Campaign Builds on APS’s Successful 2008 Perinatal Safety Initiative for California, Which Provided Discounted State-of-the-Art Training for 3,000 Clinicians throughout the State.

Advanced Practice Strategies
192 South Street, Suite 500
Boston, MA 02111
917-660-7462
shonna@skeogan.com
http://aps-web.com

This release was published on openPR.