Patient Safety Simulation Center

Long Island’s most dedicated patient care teams can now carry out the most critical medical training scenarios with no risk to their patients or themselves.

The new CHS Patient Safety Simulation Center includes state-of-the-art life-like simulators for authentic cutting edge safety education. Advanced interactive manikins and audio-visual computer capabilities allow for medically complex case scenarios that could save a life in real life.

Coupled with its value as an in-house resource for medical and nursing education, this strategic addition to the system-wide CHS patient safety program is just the latest step in helping fulfill the CHS mission to improve healthcare quality and safety for all of Long Island.

Working together for every patient, every family, every day.

Bringing a world of patient safety innovations to Long Island.

Catholic Health Services is a mission-driven system of hospitals, continuing care facilities, home care and hospice services with more than 17,000 dedicated health care professionals working together to improve the quality of healthcare across Long Island.

Our Catholic tradition has become synonymous with compassionate, patient-centered care, but it also includes a passionate commitment to continuous improvement in every aspect of our entire health care system.

Some of our most recent and significant improvement efforts include:

Six Sigma Training – originally developed as a quality strategy for manufacturing, this powerful performance improvement methodology is already showing significant results in improving stroke care, reducing heart failure readmissions, improving pain management and reducing noise levels on patient care units throughout the entire CHS system.

CRM for Obstetrics Safety – originally developed by NASA to improve flight safety, the practice of Crew Resource Management (CRM) has been instituted throughout the CHS system’s maternity departments. The dramatic results (30 percent reduction in frequency and severity of adverse events; 60 percent reduction in unexpected Neonatal Intensive Care admissions) were recognized with the 2010 Pinnacle Award, the Health Care Association of New York State’s highest award for quality and patient safety.

Telehealth Monitoring – the new remote monitoring system used by CHS Home Care has reduced congestive heart failure readmissions by more than 50 percent, while providing a greater sense of comfort and confidence to our patients.

State-of-the-Art Electronic Medical Records (EMR) – ready to be implemented across the entire Island-wide CHS system, the new $140 million EMR system will provide immediate access to each patient’s complete and up-to-date medical history, screening records, test results and medications, right at the point of care—wherever the patient is in the CHS system. It will mean faster, safer medical response, more accurate diagnoses, improved service and a higher level of care for all of our patients.

Download the
2010-2011 Quality of Care Report >>

Simulation takes the risk out of medical crisis scenarios.

Healthcare teams face them every day in real life: high-risk life-and-death medical crisis scenarios with unpredictable outcomes. And now, thanks to state-of-the-art simulation technology, CHS patient care teams can face them over and over again to hone their decision-making and teamwork skills, without endangering patients or themselves. Just as high-tech flight-simulators enable pilots and astronauts to practice and prepare for unlikely but inevitable emergencies—like having to crash-land a damaged airliner in the Hudson River—the new CHS Patient Safety Center enables patient care teams to build the competence and confidence to perform brilliantly under the most critical pressure situations imaginable.

Broad benefits of safety simulation.

Key areas that will benefit from simulation training:

Emergency Care: one of the highest-risk populations. CHS emergency departments currently see nearly a quarter of a million patients per year, almost 25 percent of all Nassau/Suffolk emergency department volume.
Critical Care Units: intensive care staff members and rapid response teams must make split-second decisions and judgments than can literally mean life or death
Obstetrics and Maternity: the moments leading up to, during, and following birth can be present unpredictable scenarios involving risk to both mother and child.
Surgery and Recovery: from anesthesia to post-operative management, the operating suite requires calm, careful responses delivered in a fast-moving, critical-care environment.

A manikin makes a good teacher.

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The incredible human simulators at the new CHS Patient Safety Simulation Center express all the physiologic parameters - such as pulse, heart rate, cardiac rhythm, eye and voice controls - required to carry out the most critical medical training scenarios utilized in cutting-edge safety education. Like real humans, these state-of-the-art mannequins act in unpredictable ways, which makes them ideal training tools. But unlike real humans, you can start them over again and they’ll never complain - unless it’s part of the simulation.

CHS Safety Makes News

See the Channel 55 news report >>