Excela Health Gold Award Winner
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Best Hospital
Thank You
To Everyone
Who Voted!
Ott Funeral Home, Inc.
John F. Ott, Supervisor
805 Pennsylvania Avenue • Irwin, PA 15642
724-863-8900
www.ottfuneralhome.com
Over the course of the past year, Excela Health has undertaken a number of initiatives to advance quality while
aiding the community-at-large with health concerns. As a result, a number of those initiatives were recognized by
national, state and regional organizations.
Most recently, the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) recognized Westmoreland Hospital and the Family Additions
Maternity Center, adding them to its nationwide honor roll for its newborn vaccination program. That program
provides Hepatitis B vaccinations to newborns within hours of delivery. Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital is one
of 407 hospitals in the United States to achieve this distinction, with a 91 percent reported Hepatitis B birth vaccine
coverage rate from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017. Each year an estimated 22,000 infants are born
to women in the U.S. who are infected with the Hepatitis B virus. The perinatal transmission of the Hepatitis B virus
poses a serious threat to infants, potentially leading to chronic infection. Additionally, the Excela Health Pharmacy
offers families booster shots for tetanus, diphtheria, flu and pertussis (whooping cough) as part of newborn care in
the Family Additions Maternity Center.
An Excela Health continuous improvement team who focused on infection prevention and control was recently
selected as one of the 2018 Heroes in Infection Prevention Award recipients by the Association for Professionals
in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). This award honors those who have succeeded in reducing infection,
raising awareness and improving the health and well-being of patients, healthcare workers and the public. The
Excela Health Heroes of Infection Prevention team tackled C. diff rates at Excela’s hospitals in Greensburg, Latrobe
and Mount Pleasant. Over a two-year period, Excela’s continuous improvement efforts resulted in a 43.8 percent
reduction in health care associated C. diff infections. Clostridium difficile, or C. diff. as it is more commonly called,
is a bacteria found in the intestines. Illness can change the balance of bacteria in the colon and with the introduction
of antibiotics, this may allow C. diff to grow, multiply and produce a toxin that causes illness. The infection may also
occur after a course of antibiotics has been taken.
To aid in the battle against opioid and prescription medication addiction, Excela Health has introduced MedSafe, a
safe, secure receptacle for the disposal of unused medications. A secure drop box, located in each of the Excela
Health hospitals, is under constant surveillance and emptied periodically by authorized health system personnel
for the processing its contents. MedSafe collection boxes provide an opportunity for individuals to prevent drug
addiction and overdose deaths. Similar containers exist at area police stations. “Consumers and caregivers should
remove expired, unwanted or unused medicines from their homes as quickly as possible to help reduce the chance
that others accidentally take or intentionally misuse the unneeded medicine,” said Dean Matanin, Excela Health
Director of Pharmacy. “Excela Health is helping to address a crucial public safety and public health issue.” Unused
prescription drugs thrown in the trash can be retrieved and abused or illegally sold. Unused drugs that are flushed
contaminate the water supply. Acceptable items for disposal include controlled, non-controlled and over-the-counter
pills, tablets, capsules, ointments, creams, lotions, powders and liquid medicines of no more than 4 ounces.
Excela Health hospitals – Frick, Latrobe and Westmoreland – have been designated as Primary Stroke Centers
by the Joint Commission and recognized by the Department of Health for exceeding national standards for quality
patient care. To earn accreditation, the Excela Health hospitals have demonstrated proficiency in the prevention and
early management of stroke and TIA (transient ischemic attacks) symptoms based on guidelines established by the
American Heart Association/American Stroke Association healthcare professionals. The American Heart Association
and the American Stroke Association have also recognized Excela Latrobe and Westmoreland hospitals with the
“Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke SILVER PLUS Achievement Award 2018 for its continuing success in using the
program.
Excela Health and its member hospitals have been ranked among the nation’s best in 2018 by CareChex®,
including a number-one hospital in the market for major orthopedic surgery and top 10 percent in the Northeast
for joint replacement surgery. CareChex® is an information service of Quantros, Inc. and provides clinical, financial
and patient satisfaction findings to consumers, providers and purchasers of U.S. medical care. It also provides a
comprehensive evaluation of inpatient hospital quality performance using a variety of outcomes of care measures,
expressed as a composite score. Sharing his story about joint replacement was Tay Waltenbaugh, chief executive
office of Westmoreland Community Action, who sought care at Excela Westmoreland Hospital. The former basketball
player and active outdoorsman, businessman and grandfather didn’t hesitate to come to Excela Health for his knee
replacement and the exemplary CareChex® ratings for Excela Westmoreland only affirmed his decision. Waltenbaugh
was experiencing severe pain in his arthritic knees before deciding to have joint replacement surgery to resume
his active lifestyle. Given his excellent physical condition at age 63, Waltenbaugh was able to have bilateral knee
replacements, performed by Gregory Bisignani, MD, orthopedic surgeon. Generally, orthopedic surgeons repair one
knee at a time, allowing the patient the opportunity to heal, rehabilitate and gain strength before undergoing a second
surgery. Waltenbaugh, however, was both mentally and physically prepared for the dual replacement. He credits
Excela Health’s pre-surgery education for establishing clear expectations and goals for a successful operation and
recovery. And even though he thought he was prepared, “I had a lot to learn about self-care, pain management post-op,
and home modifications to accommodate my physical therapy follow-up,” Waltenbaugh said. For more information
on Excela Health’s orthopedic and sports medicine programs, visit www.excelahealth.org and search “knee” to find
Waltenbaugh’s story and related articles, doctors and Excela Health locations.
To view a complete list of Excela Health awards and recognition, visit www.excelahealth.org and search “quality”.
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Excela Health Recognized for Quality
Measures, Community Concerns