ARK-Emergency-Preparedness-Task-Force

West Virginia Emergency Medical Services For Children Always Ready for Kids ARK Hospital Recognition Program... ARK Medical Advisory Team cont.• Melvin Wright, DO, Associate Professor of

West Virginia Emergency Medical Services

For Children

Always Ready for Kids (ARK) Hospital Recognition Program

1 Describe the West Virginia (WV) Always Ready for Kids (ARK)

Hospital Recognition Program.

2 Discuss the process for achievement of WV ARK Hospital

Recognition.

3 List benefits of achieving WV ARK Hospital Recognition.

4 List potential challenges of achieving WV ARK Hospital

Recognition.

ARK Hospital Recognition Program

EMSC Performance Measures (cont.)

Performance

Measure 04

The percent of hospitals recognized through a statewide, territorial, or regional standardized system that are able to stabilize and/or manage pediatric medical emergencies

Performance

Measure 05

The percent of hospitals recognized through a statewide, territorial, or regional standardized system that are able to stabilize and/or manage pediatric traumatic emergencies

• EMSC is required to work toward meeting ten federal performance measures

• ARK Hospital Recognition Program assists with compliance of Performance

Measures 04 and 05

ARK Hospital Recognition Program

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

• In 2009, a committee was formed to develop a hospital recognition program in WV

• Pediatricians

• Paramedics

• Registered Nurses

• Emergency Medical Technicians

• WV Office of Emergency Medical Services Personnel

ARK Hospital Recognition Program (cont.)

• The ARK Hospital Recognition Program recognizes acute care facilities that

have the capability to manage medical and trauma pediatric emergencies

per established ARK Hospital Recognition Program essential and desired

elements

ARK Hospital Recognition Program (cont.)

GOALS

• Provide an evidence-based, standardized statewide evaluation process for

WV hospital emergency departments in their ability to manage medical

and trauma pediatric emergencies

• Promote optimal, hospital-based, pediatric emergency care.

• Provide a hospital pediatric emergency department recognition program at

no cost to the facility

• Identify opportunities for hospital-based, pediatric emergency care system evaluation and improvement

ARK Medical Advisory Team

PURPOSE OF THE ARK MEDICAL ADVISORY TEAM

• To ensure the WV ARK Hospital Recognition Program maintains evidence-based standards and national recommendations

ARK Medical Advisory Team (cont.)

RESPONSBILITIES

• Resource for ARK Hospital Recognition Program questions

• ARK Medical Advisory Team, EMS for Children Coordinator, and Director of the Division of Trauma, Designation and Categorization shall meet annually to

review all application criteria including essential and desired equipment and

policies

• The American Academy of Pediatric Joint Policy Statement – Guidelines for Care

of Children in the Emergency Department, as well as the EMSC Guidelines for

Care of Children in the Emergency Department, will be utilized to ensure that

the most current recommendations are being considered and reviewed

ARK Medical Advisory Team (cont.)

• Melvin Wright, DO, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Medical Director, Pediatric

Critical Care and Pediatric Transport

• Thomas Marshall, MD, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine; Medical

Director, United Hospital Center

• Charles J Mullett, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Chief, Pediatric

Critical Care, West Virginia University Children’s Hospital

• William A Tippets, DO, MBA, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, Director of

Pediatric Anesthesia, Department of Anesthesiology, West Virginia University

• Franklin Huggins, PharmD, BCPS, BCPPS, Clinical Assistant Professor, West

Virginia University School of Pharmacy; Pediatric Clinical Specialist, Charleston

Area Medical Center Women and Children’s Hospital

• Michael R Mills, DO, Medical Director, WV Department of Health and Human

Resources, Bureau for Public Health, WV Office of Emergency Medical Services

Resources Utilized

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Joint Policy Statement –Guidelines for Care of Children in the Emergency Department

Resources Utilized (cont.)

Federal EMSC Guidelines for

Care of Children in the

Emergency Department

PROCESS

• Hospital completes ARK application and pre-review element questionnaire

Completed application is sent to the EMSC Coordinator The application is

available electronically through the EMSC Coordinator or via the WV Office of

Emergency Services’ website

• EMSC Program Coordinator will review for preliminary determination of hospital’s ability to meet requirement

• A consultation conference call is scheduled with the facility to discuss missing

“Essential” elements This eliminates unnecessary travel to a facility

• Once it is determined a facility is compliant, an ARK verification site visit will be

Process (cont.)

PROCESS

• Verification visit includes:

• Emergency Department walk through

• Element verification

• 100% of essential ARK Hospital Recognition Program elements

• 70% of desired ARK Recognition Program elements

• Pediatric chart review of five charts from each of the following categories will be reviewed:

• Trauma

• Illness

• Respiratory distress

• Death

• Individuals who conduct the ARK verification visit include:

• ARK Medical Advisory Team physician

• Director of the Division of Trauma, Categorization and Designation (RN)

• Designation and Registry Coordinator (RN)

• EMSC Coordinator (EMT)

Process (cont.)

PROCESS

• Two hours are allotted for the ARK Verification site visit

• Verification site visit begins with an introduction by the ARK Medical Advisory

Physician outlining expectations Following the opening, each ARK verification

staff is assigned a hospital staff to assist with the visit and answer questions

• The visit concludes with an exit conference with hospital staff

• Successful ARK verification site visit: 100% compliance on “Essential” elements, 70% on “Desired” elements, and compliant chart review

Process (cont.)

PROCESS

• If it is determined that elements are missing, the hospital has the opportunity to correct Dependent upon the missing element(s), the correction(s) may be handled electronically via e-mail (items such as purchase orders and invoices verifying

purchase and receipt of missing items, policies, etc.) In the event items cannot be verified electronically, an abbreviated verification site visit is scheduled

• There is not a timeline for how long a hospital has to correct an issue(s); however, it must be prior to the next ARK annual review

• Once a hospital meets the ARK criteria, the hospital is notified via e-mail and letter EMSC agrees to attend a media event (coordinated by the hospital) to showcase the hospital’s recognition A plaque is given to display in the hospital, and the

hospital is listed on the EMSC’s website as an ARK hospital

• Recognition remains valid for a period of three years Six months prior to the

expiration, hospitals receive notification from the EMSC Coordinator in order that they may prepare to reapply

Program Element Categories

ARK Program Element Categories

Airway/Respiratory Management Pediatric Resuscitation

Medications/AlternativesContinuing Education Personnel

Emergency Department Services Policies, Procedures, and Guidelines

Immobilization Quality Assurance/Performance

ImprovementLaboratory Services Radiology

Airway/Respiratory Management

Continuing Education

Policies, Procedures, and/or Protocols

ARK Verification Chart Review

Benefits of ARK Recognition

WHAT IS IN IT FOR A HOSPITAL?

• Create a culture driven to continue improvement of pediatric patient outcomes,

availability of equipment, services, and up-to-date treatment policies and protocols

• Increase the public’s confidence in overall quality of a hospital’s ability to address medical needs of children

• Recognize physicians, nurses, specialists, and other clinical staff for their knowledge, abilities, and commitment through their employment in an ARK recognized facility; therefore, demonstrating a solid hospital-wide commitment to excellent healthcare

of WV’s pediatric population through their support of the ARK program

Benefits of ARK Recognition (cont.)

• Increasing exposure in local communities as a facility prepared for addressing critical pediatric needs during a medical or trauma emergency This is visible in the form of

a plaque displayed in the facility’s emergency department and through listing the facility on the WV Department of Health and Human Resources, WV Office of

Emergency Medical Services’ EMSC website, and additionally through

self-promoting this accomplishment through local and/or statewide media outlets

• Utilization as a recruiting and marketing tool to attract high quality physicians,

nurses, and other healthcare specialists

• Enhancing potential educational and grant funding opportunities developed for

rural hospitals and staff

• Potential collaborative partnerships with other hospitals and organizations

Benefits of ARK Recognition (cont.)

West Virginia 2013-14 Pediatric Readiness Median

Scores

Recognized Emergency Departments scored 30 points

higher!

Simply Stated…

Hospitals that participate in a hospital recognition program

have the ability to provide better treatment and care

to the pediatric patient

Potential Challenges

• Lack of essential policies

• Funding to purchasing essential items

• Human Resources

• Lack of educational offerings

The Importance of ARK to Pleasant Valley Hospital

“In June 2012, a derecho hit our

region bringing with it tornado force

winds and torrential rain In the

midst of the storm, Pleasant Valley

Hospital received three trauma

patients which included one

obstetric patient, who ultimately

delivered I feel it is important to

share this information with you as

we believe the Emergency

Department’s preparedness was as

a direct result of having chosen to

participate in this valuable program

Please accept our sincere recognized through September 2018 Pleasant Valley Hospital is ARK

The Importance of ARK to Roane General Hospital

Roane General Hospital is a critical access hospital and a Level

IV trauma center that received ARK recognition on December

12, 2011 Since that time they have successfully completed the requirements to maintain this status.

“Our Emergency Department cares

for patients of all ages We believe

in being proactive and not

reactive Our hospital desires to be

prepared and ready to care for

pediatric patients We want to care

for our community members just as

we would want our children cared

for in the event of illness or

trauma”

Obtaining the recognition for ARK

and maintaining compliance with its

standards of care has allowed us to

rest assured, we are Always Ready

for Kids”.

Jennifer B McCumbers, RN

Executive Director of Inpatient

and Emergency Services

The Importance of ARK to United Hospital Center

"As a busy community hospital in WV, becoming ARK recognized has been a great experience for us Not only did it ensure that we had the equipment, education, and personnel that we needed, but it also opened up a much-needed dialogue

between our providers, staff, local EMS, and the community Going through the process allowed us to inspire confidence among all of these groups and ultimately made us better prepared to take care of all pediatric patients, from the simplest illness

or injury to the most critical I would highly recommend the ARK recognition to any hospital or facility looking to provide

References and Resources

1 American Academy of Pediatrics

Joint Policy Statement – Guidelines for Care of Children in the Emergency

Department

Pediatric Volume 124, Number 4, October 2009

2 Guidelines for Care of Children in the Emergency Department Produced by the

American Academy of Pediatrics, the EMS for Children National Resource Center, and Children’s National Medical Center

https://www2.aap.org/sections/PEM/pem-leadership-docs/papers/005.pdf

3 WV ARK Hospital Recognition Program application and pre-review element

questionnaire are available at:

http://www.wvoems.org/designation-and-categorization/ems-for-children/ark

ARK Program Acknowledgements

Melvin Wright, DO, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Medical

Director, Pediatric Critical Care and Pediatric Transport

Thomas Marshall, MD, Assistant Professor of Emergency

Medicine; Medical Director, United Hospital Center

William A Tippets, DO, MBA, Assistant Professor of

Anesthesiology, Director of Pediatric Anesthesia, Department

of Anesthesiology, West Virginia University

Charles J Mullett, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics,

Chief, Pediatric Critical Care, West Virginia University Children’s

Hospital

Michael R Mills, DO, Medical Director, WV Department of

Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Public Health, WV

Office of Emergency Medical Services

Dr Franklin Huggins, PharmD, BCPS, BCPPS; Clinical Assistant

Professor, West Virginia University School of Pharmacy;

Sherry Rockwell, RN, MSN, Director, WV Department of

Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Public Health,

WV Office of Emergency Medical Services, Division of Trauma Designation and Categorization

Karen Scheuch, RN, War Memorial, Emergency

Department; Paramedic, Training and Quality Assurance Officer, Berkeley County Emergency Ambulance Authority

Debbie Kyle, RN, BSN, Flight Nurse, HealthNet

Aeromedical

Penny Byrnside, MS, RN, WV Virginia Department of

Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Public Health,

WV Office of Emergency Medical Services, Division of Trauma Designation and Categorization

Vicki Hildreth, EMT-B, BA, Coordinator, WV Department

of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Public Health, WV Office of Emergency Medical Services,

Vicki L Hildreth, EMT-B, BA

Coordinator, EMS for Children Program

WV Department of Health and Human Resources

Bureau for Public Health

Office of Emergency Medical Services

350 Capital Street, Room 425

WV OEMS Website: www.wvoems.org

EMSC Website:

http://www.wvoems.org/designation-and-categorization/ems-for-children