News Releases

Health Services Advisory Group Inc. (HSAG), Medicare's Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) in Arizona, has recognized three rural Arizona hospitals for providing the highest levels of care in the state to pneumonia patients. Northern Cochise Community Hospital (Willcox), Page Hospital (Page), and Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation (Tuba City) were each presented with the Carter L. Marshall Rural Hospital Quality Award at an awards ceremony in Phoenix on April 19.

Award criteria were based on performance results for the eight national pneumonia quality measures established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). To be eligible for the 2005 award, hospitals had to have met the criteria for designation as a rural hospital, participated in the national Hospital Quality Alliance (to voluntarily report their quality measures data), and submitted at least two quarters of data for the reporting period July 2003 through June 2004. A total of 23 rural Arizona hospitals met the eligibility requirements. When data for all Arizona hospitals were compared for the pneumonia quality measures, three of the top-five-performing hospitals in the state were rural hospitals.

The Carter L. Marshall Rural Hospital Quality Award is the top award given as part of HSAG's Rural Hospital Award Program (RHAP). The RHAP promotes quality improvement efforts by encouraging collaboration among rural hospitals to share successful strategies. The RHAP also provides public recognition for rural hospitals that provide care that is as good or better than that provided by urban hospitals. The RHAP program was created and championed by Carter L. Marshall, MD, MPH, HSAG Vice President of Clinical Quality Assessment, who passed away earlier this year.

Speakers at the April 19 RHAP awards ceremony included Howard J. Eng, MS, DrPH, RPH, Associate Director for Education and Research, the Rural Health Office; Phil Lopes, Minority Leader of the Arizona House of Representatives; and John R. Rivers, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (AzHHA). The awards were presented by Lawrence Shapiro, MD, HSAG President and Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Northern Cochise Community Hospital (NCCH), organized in 1968 as a not-for-profit corporation to serve the rural community, provides basic medical, surgical, ambulatory, emergency room, and rehabilitation services. NCCH serves residents of the Willcox area, visitors, and travelers on Interstate 10. Willcox has an in-city population of about 3,900, and the market area is estimated at 14,454 people. NCCH is a designated Critical Access Hospital.

Page Hospital is a 25-bed, acute-care facility that is accredited by the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). Located next to Lake Powell on the Utah/Arizona border, Page Hospital provides services to the 6,500 residents of Page and residents from the bordering Navajo Nation. Page Hospital, which is managed by Banner Health but owned by the Page Hospital District, is a designated Critical Access Hospital.

Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation (TCRHCC) is a 73-bed, acute-care facility on the Navajo Reservation that serves the 27,590 residents of the Tuba City area-in addition to large numbers of Hopi people and members of the San Juan Paiute Tribe. TCRHCC provides a full range of outpatient, inpatient, and ICU care, and serves as a communications hub for northern Arizona's Telemedicine Program.

The eight CMS pneumonia quality measures used as the basis for RHAP evaluation and awards are:

• Oxygenation assessment within 24 hours of hospital arrival
• Pneumococcal immunization
• Blood culture performed within 24 hours prior to or after hospital arrival
• Blood cultures performed before first antibiotic received in the hospital
• Adult smoking cessation advice/counseling
• Initial antibiotic received within four hours of hospital arrival
• Administration of antibiotics consistent with current guidelines
• Influenza immunization

Additional information regarding the CMS pneumonia quality measures is available at www.medqic.org.