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For immediate release:  May 8, 2007 (Clyde, NC)

HRMC Administrator Gives Presentation in Washington DC for National Patient Safety Foundation

Jeff Breedlove, PACS System Administrator for the radiology department at Haywood Regional Medical Center is the first radiology professional to ever give a presentation at the National Patient Safety Foundation annual congress. Breedlove traveled to Washington DC May 2 - 4 to share information with approximately 2,000 attendees about how HRMC utilizes PACS (picture archiving and communication system) in order to improve patient care.

“HRMC was selected to present this information because we offer a solution based approach based on technology,” he said. HRMC performs approximately 80,000 imaging studies per year and is regarded as a national leader in the utilization of PACS information technology. The presentation demonstrated how the network enhancements enable HRMC to take full advantage of the PACS’ capabilities.

The attendees, physicians, nurses and radiology professionals, were shown that technology can improve patient safety significantly by allowing for faster report turn around times. In addition, having computers inside examination rooms so a technologist does not have to leave means that the tech can stay bedside during a procedure.

“Initially the NPSF assumed that patient safety issues were just a nursing and physician issue,” he said. “It’s exciting that technology is enhancing this issue and that we in radiology are at the forefront of this movement. After all, the quicker the patient is diagnosed by a radiologist the quicker the patient may receive treatment.”

The Annual NPSF Congress presents successful strategies that promote patient safety across the continuum of the healthcare system. Sessions and workshops highlight effective implementations of policies and programs that result in cultural change and sustained improvement processes toward a safer environment. The National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) recognizes that the field of healthcare must begin to translate theoretical models of cultural change and accountability into the everyday practice of medicine and decision making by healthcare leaders and clinicians.

Jeff Breedlove, PACS System Administrator for the radiology department at Haywood Regional Medical Center, poses in Washington D.C. with the poster presentation utilized to educate physicians, nurses and radiology professionals at the National Patient Safety Foundation congress.