Implementing Veterans First

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The Veteran-Family Center Care Plan (VFCC) will be implemented throughout a continuous integration and coordination of a perspective patient-centered culture activities of the medical staff, clinical departments and support service departments at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Hospital in Houston, Texas, that have the responsibility for various aspects of patient and staff safety. Each employee of the organization performs a dedicated and critical role in ensuring patient and employee safety.

The Veterans-Family Center Care Plan (VFCC) with be implemented along with patient safety to reduce medical errors and hazardous conditions by utilizing a systematic, coordinated and continuous approach to the improvement of patient safety. This approach centers on the establishment of mechanisms that support effective responses to actual occurrences and hazardous conditions; ongoing proactive reductions in medical/health care errors; and integration of patient safety priorities in the design and redesign of all relevant organizational processes, functions and services. Veterans Healthcare System integrated patient safety program is implemented through the Hospital Patient Safety Department. Director of Patient Safety/ Patient Safety Officer provides oversight and ensures alignment of patient safety activities and opportunities for all individuals who work in the organization to be educated and to participate in safety initiatives.

Scope of the Veteran-Family Center Care Plan (VFCC):

Proactive Risk Identification and Process for Mitigating the Risk Factors:

Patient safety department is informed about the Veterans-Family Center Care Plan (VFCC) event information collected by Performance Improvement and Risk Management departments using the National Patient Safety Goals by ‘The Joint Commission’, using standards of practice of professional organizations and health care law of Department of Health of New York State and Federal guidelines provided by CMS and other regulatory agencies. The information includes actual or potential occurrences involving inpatients, outpatients, employees and visitors. Information is provided to the department from all the employees and medical staff through completion of incident reports and verbal communication. Opportunities for improvement regarding patient safety issues are prioritized per level of severity, frequency of the occurrence, potential for harm to the patient, employee or visitor and potential for liability. Ongoing review of information is performed to direct the administrative and medical staffs’ attention to areas of clinical care representing significant sources of actual or potential risk.