Landmark earns recognition for Quality Respiratory Care

2008-05-22

Landmark Medical Center has earned Quality Respiratory Care Recognition (QRCR) under a national program aimed at helping patients and families make informed decisions about the quality of the respiratory care services available in hospitals.

About 700 hospitals, or approximately 15 percent of hospitals in the United States, have applied for and received this award.

"We are constantly striving to achieve top-quality standards of care and patient outcomes throughout the hospital, and this award is certainly a testament to the commitment and expertise of our Respiratory Care Department," said Richard R. Charest, President of Landmark Medical Center.

The QRCR program was started by the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) in 2003 to help consumers identify those facilities using qualified respiratory therapists to provide respiratory care. Hospitals earning the QRCR designation ensure patient safety by agreeing to adhere to a strict set of criteria governing their respiratory care services. To qualify for the recognition, Landmark provided documentation showing it meets the following conditions:

• All respiratory therapists employed by the hospital to deliver bedside respiratory care services are either legally recognized by the state as competent to provide respiratory care services or hold the CRT or RRT credential.
• Respiratory therapists are available 24 hours.
• Other personnel qualified to perform specific respiratory procedures and the amount of supervision required for personnel to carry out specific procedures must be designated in writing.
• A doctor of medicine or osteopathy is designated as medical director of respiratory care services.

The AARC's QRCR program grew out of growing concerns among healthcare leaders and the general public regarding the safety and quality of healthcare services provided to patients. Hospitals that voluntarily meet the QRCR requirements provide a level of respiratory care consistent with national standards and guidelines.

Respiratory therapists are specially trained healthcare professionals who work under physician orders to provide a wide range of breathing treatments and other services to people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, AIDS, and other lung-related conditions. In addition, respiratory therapists operate life-support equipment used on post-operative patients and patients in the ICU. They also care for premature infants and are key members of lifesaving response teams charged with handling medical emergencies.