CoxHealth receives three awards at MHA Convention

CoxHealth professionals and volunteers were recently honored with three awards during the Missouri Hospital Association's (MHA) 96th Annual Convention & Trade Show at Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach.

The awards include:

Visionary Leadership: Darren Bass, president of Cox Monett Hospital and system vice president of Community Hospital Group for CoxHealth, was recognized with MHA's Visionary Leadership Award for his commitment to quality improvement, and patient and workforce satisfaction.

Clinical Excellence – Small and Large Metropolitan Hospitals: To decrease length of stay and increase patient satisfaction, CoxHealth created a dedicated cardiovascular observation unit to manage patients arriving with chest pain.

The hospital improved care coordination by centralizing chest pain patient management and by hiring two cardiologists and three nurse practitioners to manage the dedicated cardiac observation and care. The unit works closely with the emergency department to evaluate and direct patients to appropriate inpatient care, observation, or care and discharge.

The program has decreased the use of cardiac testing, opened access to inpatient beds throughout the hospital and reduced readmissions for heart-related care. At the same time, patient and unit nurse staff satisfaction increased significantly.

Auxiliary of the Year: Cox Monett Auxiliary was honored for exceptional efforts as an auxiliary representing a hospital with between one and 30 licensed beds.

Between June 2017 and June 2018, 34 auxiliary members provided 4,507 hours of service to the hospital. Through fundraisers, the auxiliary donated $15,840 to support hospital initiatives, including scholarships.

This year, the auxiliary started a new pet therapy program, with Golden Retrievers Trooper and Jo, to ease stress and provide comfort; they added a Lunch & Learn for local clergy to promote the Pastoral Services Program; and they added ‘med bug’ to the line of handmade items provided to children undergoing surgery.