Women’s and Children’s
Memorial Hermann’s Women’s and Children’s Service Line is committed to improving the health of mothers and babies. That’s why we’re working with AIM, the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM). This national, data-driven maternal safety and quality improvement initiative has developed care bundles which specify well- established, evidence-based practices to help reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. These AIM bundles include care for:
- Obstetric Hemorrhage
- Care for Pregnant and Postpartum People with Substance Use Disorder
- Severe Hypertension in Pregnancy
- Obstetric Care for Women with Opioid Use Disorder
- Safe Reduction of Primary Cesarean Birth
- Postpartum Discharge Transition
- Cardiac Conditions in Obstetrical Care
- Sepsis in Obstetrical Care
Lowering the Episiotomy Rate
During childbirth, OB/GYNS sometimes perform an episiotomy as a way to enlarge the birth canal to help facilitate delivery. Currently, evidence has demonstrated that episiotomy shows no benefit in reducing complications like incontinence or pelvic floor weakness.
As part of a national effort to minimize this practice, Memorial Hermann has been successful in decreasing episiotomy rates at its hospitals, achieving a rate lower than the Leapfrog Standard from 2018 to 2023.
View episiotomy rates published on LeapFrog »
Episiotomy Rate
Oncology
Cancer Prevention through education, outreach, early detection and early access to treatment helps to improve outcomes, reduce the stress, anxiety and cost of care for patients. The Oncology Service Line supports these measures with access to multidisciplinary coordinated care.
Oncology Nurse Navigation sees nearly 10,000 new patients per year. Top patient needs addressed are: transportation, accommodation, education regarding treatment decisions, survivorship care and health promotion.
Supporting Cancer care at home is provided in partnership with Reimagine Care. This 24/7 virtual and in-person at-home cancer care support is offered to patients undergoing treatment who experience symptoms or side effects of treatment.
Orthopedics
Nurse Navigation
Memorial Hermann’s goal is for every patient experience to be coordinated and managed from diagnosis to surgery, rehabilitation and post-acute care through our multitude of affiliated specialists. We continuously work with our affiliated physicians to optimize the continuum of care through our Joint Center nurse navigators.
These specially trained navigators are experienced orthopedic nurses who help our joint replacement patients and their families by providing direction of care throughout the joint replacement journey. Our navigators are armed with digital tools and automated patient journeys to further enhance the patient’s experience and increase quality of care. Nurse navigation is a complimentary service provided to all joint replacement patients. By streamlining the process, we help to ensure that our patients receive care that is coordinated from the initial consult to postsurgery services, such as pain management and rehabilitation.
Patient Reported Outcomes
To enhance communication between the patient and care team, assist in goal setting and measure improvements in patient’s lives, we collect Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs). A patient survey can be provided on paper, a website or in-person with the care team asking questions about how the patient is doing before surgery and at specific time points after surgery. These survey results are analyzed and indicate how the patient is feeling throughout recovery. When comparing postsurgical improvements of patients at our advanced Joint Centers to the national average, through participation in the American Joint Replacement Registry, Memorial Hermann patients are realizing higher satisfaction rates with their joint replacements after one year.
Surgical Services
Losing weight through diet and exercise, and then regaining it, is a cycle that repeats itself for many people. This struggle, combined with common weight-related conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, leaves patients discouraged about their ability to live healthy lives.
Helping Obese Patients through NewStart Medical Weight Management
Specialists affiliated with Memorial Hermann’s NewStart™ Medical Weight Management Program use a scientifically based medical approach to weight loss. The process is different from traditional weight loss models because it is a personalized plan that focuses on sustainable change and long-term follow up. Many patients have learned from earlier failed attempts that losing weight too quickly with fad diets or supplements is rarely successful and also can be very expensive.
Medical Specialty
Age-Friendly Designation
Memorial Hermann is part of a movement to improve health care for older adults called the Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative. This national movement to focus not only on health issues in older adults but on ‘What Matters Most’ to them.
As part of the Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative, the John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), in partnership with the American Hospital Association and the Catholic Health Association of the United States, are helping hospitals and other care settings implement a set of evidence-based interventions specifically designed to improve care for older adults.
Memorial Hermann now joins more than 1,900 hospitals and health care practices nationwide working to make care for older adults even more tailored to patients’ goals and preferences and consistently of high quality.
Currently, the IHI recognizes Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center Hospital as Age-Friendly Health System Participants. Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital and Memorial Hermann | Rockets Orthopedic Hospital have received the highest honor, the IHI’s Age-Friendly Health Systems Committed to Care Excellence recognition.