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SGMC Places on Quality Honor Roll

Posted on: July 23rd, 2014

ATLANTA – South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta has been named to the Georgia Hospital Association’s (GHA) Partnership for Health and Accountability (PHA) Core Measures Honor Roll. SGMC is one of 26 hospitals in Georgia to be placed in the Trustee category, the second-highest on the list. The honor roll is based on clinical data provided by the federal Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS), which administers the nation’s Medicare and Medicaid programs. The data was collected from January 2013 to December 2013.Hospitals are required to submit care data to CMS, which details how well a hospital’s caregivers adhere to a list of Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) core measures. These measures are the clinical processes of care that are known to be the most effective methods of treatment for surgical patients and patients who have suffered heart attacks, pneumonia and heart failure.For instance, a recommended treatment to help prevent a heart attack is to take aspirin either before or upon arrival at the hospital, as well as at discharge. It is recommended that surgery patients are given an antibiotic one hour prior to surgery to prevent infection. The VBP core measure is a composite measure that determines whether or not a patient received the right care at the right time. A hospital’s adherence to these recommended clinical practices usually leads to better outcomes. “We are pleased to recognize SGMC’s commitment to patient safety,” said Earl V. Rogers, president of GHA. “Compliance with these important core measures ensures that every patient receives the best, most effective health care possible.”“We constantly strive to maintain the highest standard of patient care,” said Randy Sauls, chief executive officer of SGMC. “This honor validates that and is a tribute to the dedication of the staff members who ensure that great patient care is made even better.”About SGMCSouth Georgia Medical Center (SGMC) is the region’s premier healthcare provider located in Valdosta, Georgia.  The hospital serves an 11-county area in South Central Georgia and North Florida. It is governed by the Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County, GA. The main hospital provides general medical services, specialty services including robotic-assisted surgeries, minimally invasive and general surgeries, comprehensive cancer care, open heart surgery and angioplasty, women and children’s services, imaging services, neurology and spine surgery, orthopedics and emergency services.In addition to its 285-bed main campus, SGMC operates four off-site campuses—the 45-bed SMITH Northview Campus in Valdosta, the 63-bed SGMC Berrien Campus in Nashville, and the 25-bed SGMC Lanier Campus and 62-bed SGMC Lakeland Villa in Lakeland, and the 25-bed Clinch Memorial Hospital in Homerville. Support services include Hospice of South Georgia and the Langdale Hospice House, the Wound Healing Center and Diabetes Management Center. For more information, go to our website, www.sgmc.org.About PHAThe Partnership for Health and Accountability, formed in January 2000 and sponsored by the Georgia Hospital Association, is a unique statewide collaborative that brings together health care providers with community agencies and individuals to achieve healthy communities. PHA includes representation from groups like hospitals, physicians, state health officials, legislators and businesses.