Crete Area Medical Center awarded national honor for quality
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- Published on 26 April 2012
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The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) announced its 2012 Rural Health Award recipients at the NRHA’s 35th Annual Rural Health Conference in Denver, Colo. on April 19.
“We’re especially proud of this year’s winners,” Alan Morgan, NRHA CEO said. “They have each already made tremendous strides to advance rural health care, and we’re confident they will continue to help improve the lives of rural Americans.”
Crete Area Medical Center received the 2012 Rural Health Quality Award. The medical center was nominated by the Nebraska Hospital Association for, “…significantly bending the curve in health outcomes and related costs within their community.”
“We are honored to bring home this National Award to the state of Nebraska,” Carol Friesen, CEO at the medical center said. “Quality is the cornerstone for success at CAMC - Our Medical Home approach focuses on the totality of a patient’s health care. This coupled with a medical team that partners with patients leads to real, tangible results for our patients.”
A highlight of these results is that CAMC diabetic patients are two and half times more likely than the national average to have their long term blood sugar tested and five times more likely than the national average to reach a managed level.
According to data from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, CAMC has also made concerted efforts to decrease rates of preventable cancers. In 2011, the medical center saw a 125 percent increase in cervical cancer screenings, a 69 percent increase in mammography screenings and a 282 percent increase in colorectal cancer screenings.
“These results have a profound effect on patients, communities and organizations. This award serves as an acknowledgement of the unified effort to take our hospitals to a higher level of care,” concluded Friesen.
NRHA’s Annual Rural Health Conference is the largest gathering of rural health professionals in the nation.
“Every year, rural Americans come together to gain education and raise awareness on behalf of the 62 million Americans who live in rural areas and desperately need access to affordable health care,” said Morgan.
NRHA is a nonprofit organization working to improve the health and well-being of rural Americans and providing leadership on rural health issues through advocacy, communications, education and research. NRHA membership is made up of 22,000 diverse individuals and organizations, all of whom share the common bond of an interest in rural health.