Quality commitment

Community Health Network is dedicated to increasing the level of physician awareness and engagement in quality and safety improvement work. In 2010, three physicians were appointed to newly-created leadership roles of vice president of medical affairs for Community’s Indianapolis hospitals. These physicians will work closely with the hospital presidents and vice presidents of nursing, along with other quality and safety leaders at each hospital. Learn more

Patient safety

With patient safety a top priority in all of its hospitals and sites of care, Community Health Network continues to implement safety measures aimed at reducing harmful medical errors. Community Hospital North has become a benchmark for hospitals nationwide on the daily safety call, according to Healthcare Performance Improvement (HPI), a national health care consulting firm that introduced the daily safety call concept to Community. "This is one tool we utilize to show our employees that leaders are aware of issues impacting patient safety," said Clif Knight, M.D., chief medical officer of Community Health Network. "We believe patient safety comes first with everything we do—and we stress that to all of our employees." Knight was recently appointed to the National Quality Forum’s (NQF’s) Patient Safety Measures Steering Committee, which endorses national patient safety measures. View our quality data >>

Community Health Network has established a number of patient safety initiatives, in addition to the daily safety calls. These include:

• Patient Safety Education (mandatory human error prevention classes for all employees and physicians)
• Leadership Safety rounds, where a senior leader is regularly assigned to a nursing unit or department to discuss safety issues staff may be encountering
• Safety Coach Programs, which ensure leadership and peer-to-peer accountability for meeting patient safety expectations (a staff member is chosen to be a coach to observe other staff members on the job and give real-time feedback to reinforce safe practices)
• The Adoption of the one Red Rule for Safety (a Red Rule is a rule that is critical for patient safety and is expected to be performed each time care is provided. The intention is for care givers to verify and match patient identification before giving medication, treatment or performing a procedure or test)
• Speak Up for Safety Initiative, in which all staff are encouraged to speak up if they see a safety concern

Community Health Network is an active member of the Indianapolis Coalition for Patient Safety, which works with all Indianapolis hospitals to establish standardized safety protocols in a non-competing environment.

Accreditation and recognition

Community boasts numerous programs that have been honored by nationally-known ranking organizations for their commitment to quality and patient care. We are also a recipient of many long-standing awards in the areas of health care, technology and employment.

• Community Breast Care - Fully accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (the first for a comprehensive health network in the state of Indiana)
• Center for Joint Health - Designated as a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
• Hook Rehabilitation Center - Maintains the highest level of accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)
• Bariatric services at Community Hospital North - Named a Bariatric Center of Excellence by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and designated as a Blue Distinction Center for Bariatric Surgery by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
• Community Spine Center - Recognition for superior back pain care as part of the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA) Back Pain Recognition Program (BPRP)
• Community Hospital East/Stroke care - One of 14 Indiana hospitals certified as a primary stroke care center by the Joint Commission. In 2010, The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association awarded Community Hospital East a bronze Performance Achievement Award for achieving targeted percentages of Get With The Guidelines® Stroke performance measurements.
• The Indiana Heart Hospital - Named in 2010 one of the nation's top cardiovascular hospitals by Thomson Reuters for the fourth consecutive year
• Top 25 Connected Healthcare Facilities -  Health Imaging & IT magazine’s annual award recognizes hospitals, health systems, imaging centers and physician practices that seamlessly integrate imaging and IT systems, provide physicians with immediate access to patient data and demonstrate ROI and high patient and staff satisfaction. 
• Most Wired - Community has been named to the Most Wired Hospital list for the past ten consecutive years.
• SDI's 2011 Top 100® - Community was ranked in the top-20 integrated health care networks in 2011. Past rankings in the last five years include #11 and #15.
• Top Workplaces in Indiana - In 2011, Community Health Network for the third year in a row ranked in the top 10 among large employers in The Indianapolis Star’s Top Workplaces rankings—higher than any other Indianapolis-based health care system.
• Healthiest Employer - In 2010, Community was a finalist for the second consecutive year; in 2009, Community won the award for its wellness and prevention opportunities for employees.