St. Charles Redmond women’s facility receives certification

The St. Charles Center for Women’s Health in Redmond has received a prestigious certification that recognizes patient safety in outpatient women’s clinics.

The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has awarded the clinic itsSafety Certification in Outpatient Practice Excellence (SCOPE) for Women’s Health certification.

A voluntary review program,SCOPE focuses solely on processes associated with enhancing safety and reducing risk for patients in the office setting, and distinguishes those offices with the strongest safety practices.

The certification, which took the Center for Women’s Health more than two years to achieve, helps enhance patient safety by emphasizing best practice tools, policies and procedures.The clinic is only the second inOregon, and 88 th nationwide, to receive it.

Patient safety is a top priority for the clinic, said Dr. Barbara Newman, St. Charles’ director of women’s services. One recent study published in the medical journalBMJshowed that medical errors claim 251,000 lives a year, making it the third leading cause of death in the U.S.

“SCOPE is a prestigious award, but it also focuses on the fact that we practice safe medicine,” Newman said. “It’s important for us to know we’re doing it state of the art, that we’re following all of the recommendations of our parent organization— ACOG — and that we’re delivering the best care we can to our patients.”

To participate, women’s clinics complete a SCOPE application that collects information on characteristics of the office, providers and specific safety measures and processes. The survey is then reviewed and followed with a site visit.

The Center for Women’s Health, whose SCOPE certification is good for five years, was also lauded by ACOG for providing care that it will present back to the national professional association as best practice. That care includes:

An imbedded behavioral health provider who screens women for depression, domestic violence and drug and alcohol abuse
Weekly high-risk obstetrical conferences where doctors, nurses and patient navigators discuss the most complex patient cases
Education about the importance of good dental hygiene during pregnancy

“This was a total team effort. Everybody got on board and realized what an important project this was,” Newman said. “We were put under the microscope and truly scrutinized, and I’m very, very proud of what we’ve been able to demonstrate here.”