Going Above and Beyond: Spotlight, fame and champions
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| Community received several VHA West Coast awards, including one for team collaboration for outstanding work in merging acute care services from University Medical Center to Community Regional in April. The Valley's only burn center team (pictured) got the move started April 16. |
Community will enter the VHA Hall of Fame on Nov. 14 and be highlighted in the Member Spotlight Awards celebration on Nov. 15.
Community was named the top performer in the non-clinical performance improvement category by the supply chain improvement team and received the team collaboration award for outstanding work in merging acute care services from University Medical Center to Community Regional Medical Center.
Clovis Community Medical Center was awarded a certificate of recognition for clinical performance improvement in heart failure care, acute myocardial infarction care and having a reduction in the percentage of codes outside of the intensive care unit.
Clovis Community was also awarded for team collaboration by the central line infection improvement/prevention team and Dr. Michael Synn was awarded as a physician champion.
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| Dr. Michael Synn |
“I’m so honored, so appreciative and really surprised. I wasn’t even aware that I was nominated for such an award,” said Dr. Synn, director of Community’s fertility center and in vitro fertilization lab.
Dr. Synn is one of three doctors in six participating states to receive the physician champion award. The award is given to physicians who exhibit exemplary team leadership and commitment by actively participating on multidisciplinary hospital performance improvement teams with major contributions to improving patient care and outcome performance measures.
Dr. Synn’s detail-oriented approach has resulted in many substantial changes including, but not limited to:
- Integrating physicians into the facility quality program by providing education and addressing specific medical staff, quality concerns and needs
- Driving core measure composite scores from 64% to 84% within the past year
- Ensuring ongoing survey readiness with a focus on national patient safety goals
- Achieving excellence scores during the most recent survey in 2006 without a single requirement for improvement
Dr. Synn has been a part of Community since 1986, when he began his residency in obstetrics and gynecology as a UCSF Fresno resident. He currently serves as an assistant clinical professor at UCSF Fresno, chairman of the Clovis Community facility executive committee, chairman of the quality patient safety committee, director of Community Fertility Center and in vitro fertilization lab and serves on Community’s board of trustees.
“In receiving the award, I think it says a lot about the team of people that we have at Community Medical Centers,” Dr. Synn said. “The quality department, regulatory department and administration really make all of this possible.”
Dr. Synn attributes his success to Clovis Community administrators such as CEO Craig Castro, Tracy Kiritani, Craig Wagoner, David Boyd, Carla Wolfe and Carlos Sueldo – who opened the in vitro lab in 1985.
“It motivates me even more to work harder on behalf of the hospital system. When you’re recognized for something like that you want to do even more,” Dr. Synn said.
“My mission is to make Community one of the top 100 hospitals in the country.”
This story was reported by Millie Tang. She can be reached at mtang2@communitymedical.org.