Phelps Health Selected as a 2022 Health Quality Innovator of the Year

Award recognizes Phelps Health’s dedication to improving health in south-central Missouri

ROLLA, Mo. – Phelps Health has been named as a 2022 Health Quality Innovator of the Year. The Health Quality Innovator Awards is the annual awards program created by Health Quality Innovators (HQI) that recognizes and celebrates organizations that are using successful, evidence-based approaches to quality improvement. 

Phelps Health was selected as the winner in the Rural Health category for an initiative to reduce central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI). This award recognizes rural healthcare facilities that have made outstanding contributions to rural healthcare.

“We’re incredibly proud that our project to reduce CLABSI rates allowed Phelps Health to be recognized as a Health Quality Innovator of the Year,” said Brandy Parks, BSN, RN, clinical quality analyst and lean/quality improvement specialist at Phelps Health. “This is truly a collaborative effort among an incredible multidisciplinary team of people working to improve the health of this community.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, staff at Phelps Health noticed a sudden increase in CLABSI rates. In response, they created a multidisciplinary team to address the issue.

The project team developed, trialed and reassessed multifaceted interventions for effectiveness.

Two such activities included conducting daily central venous line necessity checks during morning rounds and encouraging nurses to speak with physicians daily to review and assess central venous line necessity.

Additionally, facilitators presented all findings and interventions at mandatory staff meetings, and staff were provided education on their CLABSI rates, charting deficiencies and rationale for the interventions that had been implemented.

As a result of this project, Phelps Health’s CLABSI rate is the lowest it has been in 6 years.

About Phelps Health

Phelps Health serves over 200,000 residents in south-central Missouri. Phelps Health is county-owned, non-tax supported and is overseen by a five-member elected board. Phelps Health employs more than 1,900 people, including 100-plus providers. Phelps Health, which includes a hospital licensed for 242 patient beds, serves a six-county area, with its main campus and several clinics located in Rolla, Missouri. Phelps Health also has clinics in Salem, St. James, Vienna and Waynesville, Missouri. For more information, visit phelpshealth.org.

About HQI

Health Quality Innovators (HQI) is an independent, non-profit consulting organization that offers health care providers practical solutions backed by objectivity and expertise. They consult on complex government healthcare programs, implement change on the front lines of care and shine new light on improvement challenges. HQI serves as the Health Quality Innovation Network (HQIN), bringing together organizations and individuals who are making health care better for millions of Americans through funding provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Quality Improvement Organization Program. Members include hospitals, providers, community-based organizations, health care associations and families. www.hqi.solutions