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.
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.
The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®) has recognized 78 hospitals out of an eligible 615 hospitals participating in the adult program for achieving meritorious outcomes for surgical patient care in 2022. Hospitals participating in ACS NSQIP are required to track the outcomes of inpatient and outpatient surgical procedures; these outcomes are then analyzed by ACS and reported back to the hospitals. These results inform patient safety initiatives within the hospital and impact the quality of surgical care for all patients.
NSQIP 2022 Meritorious Award-recognized hospitals:
It’s not uncommon in operating rooms to smell surgical smoke, which is produced when human tissue interacts with laser or electrosurgical surgical devices. But can present a safety issue.
In fact, on December 15, 2020, The Joint Commission released “Quick Safety Issue 56: Alleviating the dangers of surgical smoke,” which was noted as the commission’s strongest statement to date for surgical smoke evacuation.
AORN partnered with Medtronic through the AORN Foundation to create the AORN Center of Excellence in Surgical Safety: Smoke Evacuation and the AORN Go Clear Award™—a comprehensive Surgical Smoke-Free Recognition Program for facilities that want to ensure a smoke-free environment.
As of 2023, the following Memorial Hermann facility successfully completed the program and made the commitment to a surgical smoke-free environment:
Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) refers to pathways developed by a multidisciplinary team for a surgical specialty and facility culture that are patient-centered and evidence-based. The purpose of the pathways is to help reduce the patients’ surgical stress response, optimize their physiologic function and facilitate their recovery.
Memorial Hermann has embraced this paradigm shift in post-surgical care by re-examining traditional practices and replacing them with evidence-based best practices when necessary. The ERAS program spans general surgery, OB/GYN surgery, colorectal surgery and cardiothoracic procedures. A reduction in LOS was seen with an increase in order set compliance.