Sherman applauds Supreme Court health care reform ruling

6-28-2012

We applaud the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act. Illinois hospitals, including Sherman Hospital, have long supported the expansion of coverage for the uninsured and reforms to eliminate exclusions for pre-existing conditions and coverage caps to improve the health and well-being of Illinoisans.

At Sherman, we have already started taking steps to carry out the spirit and requirements of the bill, from both the cost savings and quality perspective. These include:

-With a focus on enhancing quality for our patients, we have achieved the following results:
*No VAPS (Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia) for seven months.
*No CLABSI (Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection) for six months.
*No HAPU (Hospital-Acquired Pressure Ulcer) for six months.
*Only one CAUTI (Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection) in seven months.
-We maintained the 90th percentile or greater for inpatient satisfaction at Sherman Hospital for our last fiscal year, May 1, 2011 to April 30, 2012.
-We have worked to meet the Meaningful Use stage 1 guidelines, including the launch of Computerized Physician Order Entry in October 2011.
-To prepare for the future, we have created eight internal teams at Sherman, focused on finding $40 million in cost savings and reductions in cost over the next three years.

We continue to remain committed to the improvement of healthcare value for our community and are always seeking ways to improve healthcare outcomes and to be good stewards of resources. We will continue to honor our traditional commitment to our mission of service as we adapt to the Court's ruling.