Weirton Medical Center Recognized in Statewide Quality Initiative

Weirton Medical Center was among 22 hospitals across West Virginia that were honored by the West Virginia Perinatal Partnership (WVPP) in November for their participation in two initiatives: The West Virginia Obstetrical Collaborative Quality Initiative and the Hospital Self-Assessment Initiative. WVPP visited Weirton Medical Center recently to present framed award certificates that will hang in the obstetrical department.

The purpose of the studies was to improve perinatal healthcare in West Virginia. Weirton Medical Center received awards for participating in both initiatives.

Dr. Joseph P. Endrich, president and chief executive officer of Weirton Medical Center said, “We are very pleased and honored to be recognized by the WVPP for the quality of our obstetrical services. The credit for this honor goes to the obstetricians, pediatricians, and nursing staff for their diligent efforts to maintain a high level of quality in the obstetrical unit.”

The goal of the Obstetrical Collaborative Quality Initiative was to reduce the number of elective births occurring before full-term (39 weeks of gestation). Babies born before they are full term have added physical stresses, reduced ability to feed effectively, and sometimes require neonatal intensive care to help the baby breath. Elective births are those where the mother’s labor has been induced when there is no medical condition to warrant the induction of labor. Scheduled repeat Cesarean deliveries prior to 39 weeks without an appropriate medical reason for early delivery were also reviewed in this project. Over the course of eight months elective births decreased in West Virginia hospitals from 21.1 percent of births down to 8.4 percent of births.

The Hospital Self Assessment Initiative began in September 2009. The goals of the initiative are to:

• Establish a consistent set of minimum expectations for each level of perinatal services in order to promote the highest quality of care for West Virginia’s mothers and babies no matter where they live.

• Enable each institution to provide consumers with a consistent level and quality of perinatal services throughout West Virginia.

• Recognize and honor the capabilities, commitment and resources of institutions that are beyond the minimum expectation for their level of perinatal services.

To meet these goals, the WVPP developed the Hospital Self-Assessment Initiative Checklist, which was sent to every obstetric hospital in the state. Based on the completion of the checklists, Weirton Medical Center was among the 22 hospitals that were recognized for the quality of obstetrical services.

Weirton Medical Center is a 238-bed community hospital located on a 23-acre campus in Brooke County, West Virginia and serving the residents of Brooke and Hancock counties in West Virginia, and certain parts of Washington County, Pennsylvania and Jefferson County, Ohio. Weirton Medical offers a comprehensive array of services including emergency care, acute care, skilled care, and behavioral medicine. It also offers a variety of ancillary services such as laboratory and radiology testing, pharmacy, physical rehabilitation, respiratory therapy, dialysis, physician services, home health, pain management, sleep lab, and wound treatment.

For more information, call 304-797-6000 or visit www.weirtonmedical.com.