During a press conference at Clearfield Hospital on July 27th, the PHC4 and Highmark announced that Clearfield Hospital is one of 11 Pennsylvania hospitals to receive a grant to implement new technology to identify, track and proactively prevent hospital-acquired infections.

Hospitals selected for the Reducing Hospital-Acquired Infections with Electronic Surveillance Demonstration Project will receive funding to assist in their utilization of MedMined's Data Mining Surveillance service. Clearfield Hospital's grant is for $36,000.

MedMined pinpoints sources of infections by electronically monitoring real-time and historical clinical data, and it alerts infection control professionals to the processes of care that increase the risk of infections.

Infection Control at Clearfield Hospital

Marc P. Volavka, Executive Director of PHC4, said, "Clearfield Hospital should be commended for taking the lead in implementing this infection control technology, which has been proven to lower both infection rates and health care costs."

He continued, "The MedMined service frees a hospital's infection control staff from manual data collection practices and gets them onto the floors and into the rooms of hospitals so they can do the job they were trained for -- finding and preventing the causes of the hospital-acquired infections."

Kim Smolko, R.N., Infection Control Manager for Clearfield Hospital, agreed and added, "Our hospital-acquired infection rate is low, but one infection is one too many. We actively pursued this grant because we believe MedMined will enable us to more quickly identify and address potential problems."

Robert B. Murray III, President and Chief Executive Officer of Clearfield Hospital, thanked PHC4 and the Highmark Foundation for selecting Clearfield Hospital to participate in the project.

"Patient safety is paramount at Clearfield Hospital. The addition of the MedMined service will further reduce the chances of hospital-acquired infections. We're eager to implement new processes that elevate patient care and improve outcomes," Mr. Murray said.

He recognized staff members Ms. Smolko; MIS Director Linda Dunworth; Quality Assurance Director Salinda Cowder; and Grant Coordinator Michelle Fenush for their work to secure the grant.

"They went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure our hospital received this very important grant. Their commitment to patient care is second to none," Mr. Murray noted.

About the Project

Donald Fischer, M.D., Highmark senior vice president and chief medical officer, said the goal of the project is to reduce hospital-acquired infection rates, which is one of the most important areas where health care facilities can improve the quality and safety of health care today.

"Keeping patients safe while in the hospital helps to increase the quality of care. It's a win-win for the patient and the hospital," he said.

While the board of PHC4 committed $500,000 to the demonstration project, the board of the Highmark Foundation approved $250,000, of which $150,000 is earmarked to match dollars secured from other health insurers.

All Pennsylvania general acute care hospitals were eligible to apply for the project. Applications were evaluated and selected based on the hospital's economic need, location, and commitment to employing contemporary infection control practices.

MedMined, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cardinal Health, provides data mining analysis and related technical, clinical, and financial consulting services to the health care community. MedMined's Data Mining Surveillance service is currently used by 195 hospitals in 26 states, covering more than 2.5 million hospital admissions yearly.

PHC4 is an independent state agency charged with collecting, analyzing and reporting cost and quality health care information. 

The Highmark Foundation was created in December 2000 to support initiatives and programs aimed to improve community health. The Foundation's mission is to improve the health, well being and quality of life of the individuals who reside in the Pennsylvania 49-county region served by Highmark Inc.

The Foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations and hospitals for activities of many types, including demonstrations, pilot projects and models that have the potential to be replicated through Highmark's service area.