Blue Shield of California Foundation Awards $990,000 to Save Lives by Reducing Unnecessary Infections in California Hospitals.SAN FRANCISCO San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden -- The Blue Shield of California Blue Shield of California is a not-for-profit health insurance provider headquartered in San Francisco, California. An independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Blue Shield of California is an incorporated, wholly owned subsidiary of California Physicians' Foundation today gave $990,000 to 11 California California (kăl'ĭfôr`nyə), most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W). hospitals to participate in a demonstration program aimed at preventing hospital-borne infections. Such infections are responsible for an estimated 9,000 deaths, causing an additional $2.4 billion in healthcare costs, in California each year. Receiving grants in the amount of $90,000 each are: Anaheim Memorial Medical Center Anaheim California Hospital Medical Center Los Angeles City of Hope National Medical Center Duarte Enloe Medical Center Chico Kaiser Foundation Hospital Fontana Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center Mission Viejo Paradise Valley Hospital National City Saint Agnes Medical Center Fresno San Francisco General Hospital Medical Center San Francisco Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Santa Barbara University of California, San Francisco Medical Center San Francisco Based on a successful program in Alabama, the foundation is partnering with Birmingham-based MedMined Inc. to use its Data Mining Surveillance technology to identify where and when infections may originate o·rig·i·nate v. 1. To bring into being; create. 2. To come into being; start. early enough for hospital staff to change their practices to reduce unnecessary illness, length of stay, cost and most importantly Adv. 1. most importantly - above and beyond all other consideration; "above all, you must be independent" above all, most especially , death. "Usually, inspections discover what went wrong after the fact," said Crystal Hayling, president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of the Blue Shield of California Foundation. "This technology will revolutionize rev·o·lu·tion·ize tr.v. rev·o·lu·tion·ized, rev·o·lu·tion·iz·ing, rev·o·lu·tion·iz·es 1. To bring about a radical change in: Television has revolutionized news coverage. 2. hospital practices, allowing real-time monitoring and control to keep infections from occurring in the first place." Currently, health care-associated infections cause 88,000 deaths per year nationwide. They affect 5-10% of all hospital admissions, are responsible for 50% of all hospital complications and add an average of 8.7 extra days of hospital care per case. Other pilots using the Data Mining Surveillance technology have reduced infection rates by 10-20% and saved hospitals $4 for every $1 they invest in preventing hospital-borne infections. The $990,000 in awards announced today represents just some of the millions of dollars in grants given each year by the Blue Shield of California Foundation. In July, the foundation gave $800,000 to support California hospitals enrolled in the Institute for Health Improvement 100,000 Lives Campaign, which is seeking to extend or save 100,000 lives nationwide each year by improving hospital practices. Blue Shield of California Foundation was formed by Blue Shield of California, a not-for-profit corporation A not-for-profit corporation is a corporation created by statute, government or judicial authority that is not intended to provide a profit to the owners or members. A corporation that is organized to provide profits to its owners or members is a for-profit corporation. with more than 3.3 million members, 4,300 employees and 20 offices throughout California. The Blue Shield of California Foundation provides charitable contributions charitable contribution n. in taxation, a contribution to an organization which is officially created for charitable, religious, educational, scientific, artistic, literary, or other good works. , conducts research and supports programs with an emphasis on reducing the number of uninsured, using technology to promote health, and preventing domestic violence. For more information, visit the Blue Shield of California website at www.mylifepath.com or the foundation at www.blueshieldcafoundation.org. |
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