In laudable recognition of their exceptional performance in surgical patient care in 2023, the surgery team at the Ada Medical Center – Chickasaw Nation Department of Health has been distinguished. The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) identified the Chickasaw Nation Medical Center as one of the elite 77 among 600 participating hospitals for achieving top-notch surgical patient care outcomes.
Dr. Charles Grim, Secretary of Health for the Chickasaw Nation, commended the collective efforts instrumental in achieving the commendation. The achievement underlines the performance capability of their staff, he noted, considering their ranking against the other hospitals participating in the improvement initiative. He praised the team’s unwavering dedication to excellence, even without the expectation of awards, and pointed out that consistent quality care invariably leads to such recognition.
Grim also highlighted the importance of voluntary participation in the ACS NSQIP’s stringent surgical care scrutiny. Such participation underlines the medical centre’s commitment to transparent and peer-comparable care. This includes tracking the outcomes of inpatient and outpatient surgical procedures, analysis by ACS, and reporting back of results, a process which directly impacts the quality of surgical care rendered at the hospital.
The award also recognises the pivotal role of the entire Ada Medical Center team in achieving their commendable surgical outcomes. This includes a broad range of staff, encompassing anesthesiologists, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), infection prevention and quality teams, engineering and environmental personnel, along with those responsible for facility cleanliness in surgical environments and central sterilization.
Another key player in this success is the team entrusted with the vital task of tracking and charting progress metrics. As an example, Grim spoke about their process of reviewing over 1,100 cases in 2024, while maintaining internal dashboards and scorecards for real-time data tracking and issue resolution.
Clifford Y. Ko, M.D., M.S., MSHS, ACS Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care Director, praised all ACS NSQIP-participating hospitals, especially confessing admiration for the ability of the ‘Meritorious’ hospitals to leverage data optimally and yield results bearing evidence of achieving excellent patient outcomes.
The recognition program hailed CNDH’s merit-worthy ‘All Cases’ composite score, where key clinical areas evaluated included mortality, cardiac arrest and myocardial infarction, pneumonia, unplanned intubation, ventilator (48 hours), renal failure, surgical site infection (SSI), and urinary tract infection. The eligibility of the CNDH was sealed with the submission of at least one case in each of the 2021, 2022, and 2023 calendar years, with the assessment of the 2023 performance for the current Meritorious list.
Lastly, Grim acknowledged the instrumental support of Chickasaw Nation Governor, Bill Anoatubby, in creating an organizational culture conducive to the health department’s success. He lauded Governor Anoatubby’s unwavering support aids improving the provision of care across the whole system and ensures the continual enhancement and expansion of services for the community population.