Richmond Memorial earns national recognition for respiratory care
| Date Posted: 4/6/2011
ROCKINGHAM – FirstHealth Richmond Memorial Hospital has earned Quality Respiratory Care Recognition (QRCR) under a national program aimed at helping patients and families make informed decisions about the quality of the respiratory care services available in hospitals.
About 700 (or 15 percent) of the hospitals in the United States applied for and received this award. Richmond Memorial’s recognition focuses on services provided by the hospital’s Respiratory Services program during 2010. The hospital earned the same recognition for services provided in 2009.
The American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) started the QRCR program in 2003 to help consumers identify facilities that use qualified respiratory therapists to provide respiratory care. Hospitals earning the QRCR designation ensure patient safety by agreeing to adhere to a strict set of criteria governing their respiratory care services.
To qualify for the recognition, Richmond Memorial Hospital provided documentation showing it meets the following conditions:
- All respiratory therapists employed by the hospital to deliver bedside respiratory care services are either legally recognized by the state as competent to provide respiratory care or hold the CRT (certified respiratory therapists) or RRT (registered respiratory therapist) credential
- Respiratory therapists are available 24 hours
- Other personnel qualified to perform specific respiratory procedures and the amount of supervision required for personnel to carry out specific procedures must be designated in writing
- A doctor of medicine or osteopathy is designated as medical director of respiratory care services
- Hospital policy prohibits the routine delivery of medicated aerosol treatments using small volume nebulizers, metered dose inhalers or intermittent positive pressure treatments to multiple patients simultaneously
- The hospital uses a process that periodically compares performance of the respiratory department on efficiency and quality metrics with similar departments for the purpose of identifying and achieving best practice
The AARC’s QRCR program grew out of growing concerns among health care leaders and the general public regarding the safety and quality of health care services provided to patients. Hospitals meeting the QRCR requirements provide a level of respiratory care consistent with national standards and guidelines.
The AARC is a membership organization that represents more than 50,000 health professionals involved in respiratory care nationwide.
Respiratory therapists are specially trained health care professionals who work under physician’s orders to provide a wide range of breathing treatments and other services to people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, AIDS, and other lung or lung-related conditions. They also care for premature infants and are key members of lifesaving response teams charged with handling medical emergencies.
FirstHealth Richmond Memorial Hospital is a division of FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital.
