Troy Regional Achieves Patient Safety Milestone

June 23rd marks 5-year anniversary of no CLABSIsOn Friday, June 23, 2023, the team at Troy Regional celebrated five years with no patient having a Central Line-associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI) in the hospital. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CLABSIs result in thousands of deaths each year and billions of dollars in added costs to the U.S. healthcare system. Dr. Lyn Diefenderfer, Troy Regional Chief of Hospital Medicine, said taking precautions to prevent CLABSIs is crucial because of the risk of death and secondary illnesses associated with them.

“A CLABSI occurs when bacteria or other germs enter the patient’s central line and go into their bloodstream,” said Dr. Diefenderfer. “This can be very dangerous, so prevention has to be a top priority.” The CDC estimates each year there are 41,000 bloodstream infections caused by contaminated central lines in U.S. hospitals.

This safety milestone comes on the heels of a 10-year anniversary in March with no Catheter-associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTIs).

Rick Smith, Troy Regional CEO, said, “Five years without a CLABSI is an amazing accomplishment, just like our 10 years with no CAUTIs, and it is the result of our physicians and clinical teams collaborating on patient care and techniques to provide the best care possible. Patient safety is top priority every day.”

Troy Regional Chief Clinical Officer Amy Minor added, “Our management team starts each day with a safety huddle to communicate across departments any potential issues that need to be addressed, as well as our best practices and successes. This communication continues among our teams for every procedure on every patient through our Coordinated Care Program.”

The staff was recognized with a doughnut celebration. “These achievements occur because of the care and diligence of our team members,” said Minor. “We want to recognize them for their efforts.”