About Our Emergency Services
Because patient safety is critical, the emergency department participates in several health initiatives with other hospitals and organizations. These include:
- Aligning Forces for Quality: McLaren Macomb is part of a national program made possible locally by the Greater Detroit Area Health Council. The initiative, called"Aligning Forces for Quality" (AF4Q), helped the Emergency Department reduce wait times for patients.
As part of AF4Q, the hospital worked for 18 months with more than 100 other hospitals nationwide as part of a virtual network where they developed and shared quality improvement tools, strategies and lessons learned.
In addition, McLaren Macomb participated in a"Hospital Quality Summit," allowing them to share their experiences and insights from AF4Q with teams from nine other hospitals in Southeastern Michigan.
AF4Q is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which selected the Greater Detroit Area Health Council to participate. The Council was one of just 16 communities selected participate nationally.
- The MHA Keystone Initiative: This is another collaborative project that focuses on continual improvement for the Emergency Department. Since 2010, the hospital has been part of this statewide project coordinated by the Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) Keystone Center for Patient Safety & Quality.
Participating Keystone hospitals in Michigan work together, sharing improvement and efficiency methods that help to improve patient safety and patient satisfaction. In addition, the project has involved physicians and hospital administration, who regularly collaborate with the emergency team to address any needs or concerns.
Thanks to the Keystone Initiative, the emergency department at McLaren Macomb has made it an ongoing practice to focus on efficiency, safety, and excellent customer service.
- Efforts to reduce readmissions: McLaren Macomb has made an effort to keep patients with heart failure from having to be re-admitted through the emergency room.
As a result, the hospital is one of only three in Michigan to have earned Heart Failure Accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC).
To earn accreditation, the hospital underwent a rigorous evaluation of the programs in place that assist and manage heart failure patients. The process requires compliance with specific criteria based on the recommendations of industry experts. From emergency responders through hospital discharge, the review process ensures that patients receive the most appropriate treatment methods to help with an easier transition home, with fewer readmissions.