Several Ministry Health Care facilities have earned Quality Respiratory Care Recognition (QRCR) under a national program aimed at helping patients and families make informed decisions about the quality of the respiratory care services available in hospitals.
Ministry Saint Clare’s Hospital, Weston, has received the recognition each year since 2007 and Ministry Good Samaritan Health Center in Merrill received the honor for the sixth time. About 700 hospitals or approximately 15 percent of hospitals in the United States have applied for and received this award.
A total of six Ministry Health Care facilities earned the QRCR designation. Joining Ministry Saint Clare’s and Ministry Good Samaritan are Ministry Saint Joseph’s Hospital, Marshfield, Ministry Saint Michael’s Hospital, Stevens Point, Ministry Saint Mary’s Hospital, Rhinelander and Ministry Door County Medical Center, Sturgeon Bay
“The QRCR program was started by the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) in 2003 to help consumers identify those facilities using qualified respiratory therapists to provide respiratory care, said Joe Rohling, manager of respiratory services at Ministry Saint Clare’s.
Robert Asinas, manager of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation at Ministry Good Samaritan adds, “Hospitals earning the QRCR designation ensure patient safety by agreeing to adhere to a strict set of criteria governing their respiratory care services.”
To qualify for the recognition, both Ministry Saint Clare’s and Ministry Good Samaritan provided documentation showing it meets the following conditions:
• All respiratory therapists employed by the hospital to deliver bedside respiratory care services are either legally recognized by the state as competent to provide respiratory care services or hold the certified or registered credential.
• Respiratory therapists are available 24 hours.
• Other personnel qualified to perform specific respiratory procedures and the amount of supervision required for personnel to carry out specific procedures must be designated in writing.
• A doctor of medicine or osteopathy is designated as medical director of respiratory care services.
The AARC is a membership organization representing more than 50,000 health professionals involved in respiratory care nationwide. A list of QRCR hospitals is maintained at the association’s website: YourLungHealth.org
About Ministry Good Samaritan Health Center
Ministry Good Samaritan Health Center is a 25-bed Critical Access Hospital that provides primary and specialty health care services to Merrill and rural Lincoln County.
It features a 24-hour emergency department, walk-in clinic, inpatient care and surgery plus access to state of the art imaging, laboratory and rehabilitation services.
Ministry Good Samaritan is an iVantage HealthStrong™ Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) in the United States and has been recognized as one of the nation’s top performers on key quality measures for surgical care by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health care organizations in America.