Striving for Perfection

Let me start off by saying no one is perfect, but that is the expectation in health care.  Quite honestly, when a loved one is ill, the expectation is valid.  My goal as CEO is to ensure that we strive for perfection.  I want us to minimize any medical errors and, when one occurs, to learn from it.  The root- cause analysis is commonplace when medical errors occur due to a system or process failure.  In addition to making every effort to learn from any error, we also self-disclose when an error happens.  We strive for a just culture or blame-free environment unless the act is due to negligence; then, we work with the individual through as constructive a process as possible. 

The goal is to demonstrate a safe environment of care for our patients every hour of every day.  This is achieved by having a process where caregivers must feel comfortable in discussing patient care with physicians; and if they aren't, we want them to speak up.  Nurses are our advocates for the patient and if the nurse feels that a patient's needs aren't being met, they must elevate their concern and never feel reluctant to do so.  Leadership's responsibility is then to ensure that everyone who is involved in the care of that patient understands our commitment of that patient.  That is the least that we can do for patients when they are in such a most vulnerable state.