November 18, 2021
American College of Surgeons laud local hospital’s surgical program
MEDICINE HAT — Medicine Hat Regional Hospital (MHRH) has received recognition from the American College of Surgeons (ACS) for the quality of care and positive results related to the facility’s surgical patients and program.
The local Alberta Health Services (AHS) facility has been named among 90 hospitals that participate in the college’s National Surgical Quality Improvement Program which achieved praiseworthy outcomes for surgical patient care last year. Participating sites are required to track the outcomes of inpatient and outpatient surgical procedures. They must also collect data assessing patient safety, which is used to direct improvement in the quality of surgical care.
“It is an honour to receive this recognition from our colleagues at the college, and to be recognized among this select group of international peers,” says Linda Tessman-Potvin, Senior Operating Office at the hospital. “It is additionally very rewarding for our hospital and dedicated teams to receive this recognition while continuing to work tirelessly, delivering exemplary work, throughout the pandemic.”
The goals of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program are to reduce infection, illness or death related to a surgical procedure, and to provide a foundation for surgeons to apply best scientific evidence to the practice of surgery. The program is currently used in nearly 850 adult and pediatric hospitals around the world.
“We are thrilled to share this achievement with our community as it is our patients and their loved ones that benefit from the positive outcomes recognized through the quality improvement work our teams are doing,” says Dr. Carl Nohr, Associate Zone Medical Director for AHS South Zone.
Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre was the other AHS facility to earn the recognition for 2020.
The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient. The college is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The college has more than 82,000 members and it is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.
