the BRAIN - Shepherd Center

Letter from James Shepherd
Dear Friends,
Photo by Gary Meek
As state and federal governments push for improved and more efficient medical
care for citizens, a trend is emerging among a few leading healthcare facilities,
including Shepherd Center. It’s a trend toward transparency – specifically, the
readily available publication of data on patient outcomes and satisfaction at
hospitals and other medical facilities.
Shepherd Center has begun publishing this information on its Web site (see
the Patient Care section of www.shepherd.org) – updating it quarterly – and
is making it available in printed form (see the fold-out attachment on page 21
in this issue of Spinal Column) to referring facilities, case managers, payers, and
patients and their families. A few other facilities are publishing this information,
but generally, hospitals have been slow to take this proactive step. The time has
come, however, for healthcare facilities to make this information directly available
to their customers – not relying solely upon any third party to gather and publish
it. Our customers deserve the opportunity to make good, informed healthcare
decisions based upon solid data.
Organizations that publish their data on patient outcomes and customer
satisfaction – even if it’s not perfect – convey the message that their institution
is one of integrity and progressive thinking. Shepherd Center’s data also lets you
see what an excellent job our staff does in caring for patients and meeting the
needs of their families, as well. For example, the numbers show our low, hospitalacquired
infection rates, which we attribute to our dedicated respiratory therapy
and nursing staffs, as well as rigorous quality control measures. Specifically,
Shepherd has been able to sustain a no-infection rate in ventilator-associated
pneumonia for more than a year. That’s practically unheard of among hospitals.
Another reason Shepherd Center excels across the data measured is our broad
continuum of care. We are one of the few places that can provide true continuity
of care across all levels – from the intensive care unit to inpatient and outpatient
rehabilitation therapy to adaptive driver training to the community reintegration
assistance provided by our Marcus Community Bridge Program.
As our nation engages in a discussion about healthcare reform, it is our hope
that transparency in patient outcomes and customer satisfaction will become the
norm among medical facilities. Shepherd Center is proud to be on the leading
edge of this trend, which will ultimately benefit every American faced with
making decisions about where to obtain healthcare services.
Warm regards,
SpinalColumn
T h e m a g a z i n e o f S h e p h e r d C e n t e r
Fa l l 2 0 0 9
Shepherd Center
2020 Peachtree Road, NW
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
404-352-2020
spinalcolumn@shepherd.org
www.spinalcolumn.org
Editor
Jane M. Sanders
Design
Soloflight Design
Contributing Writers
Lauren Angelo, Sara Baxter, Larry
Bowie, Pete Collman, Amanda Crowe,
Kayla Eubanks, Caroline Hemingway,
Dean Melcher, Anne Pearce, Bill
Sanders, Scott Sikes
Contributing Photographers
Leita Cowart, Jim Fitts, Anthony Orig,
Eric Schultz, Gary Meek, Owen Riley
Board of Directors
James H. Shepherd, Jr., Chairman
Gary Ulicny, Ph.D., President and CEO
Emory A. Schwall, Vice President
William C. Fowler, Treasurer
Stephen B. Goot, Corporate Secretary
Alana Shepherd, Recording Secretary
Members
Fred V. Alias, Gregory P. Anderson,
David F. Apple, Jr., M.D., Brock Bowman,
M.D.*, Wilma Bunch*, James M. Caswell,
Jr., Sara S. Chapman, John S. Dryman,
Mitchell J. Fillhaber*, David H. Flint,
Stephen B. Holleman*, Michael L. Jones,
Ph.D.*, Tammy King*, Donald Peck
Leslie, M.D., Bernie Marcus, Joseph R.
Moderow, Julian B. Mohr, Charles T.
Nunnally III, Sally D. Nunnally, Clyde
Shepherd III, J. Harold Shepherd, Scott
H. Sikes*, James E. Stephenson, James
D. Thompson, Goodloe H. Yancey III
*Ex Officio
Spinal Column is published quarterly by
Shepherd Center, a private, not-for-profit
hospital specializing in the treatment
of people with spinal cord injury and
disease, acquired brain injury, multiple
sclerosis and other neuromuscular
disorders, and urological problems.
E-mail change of address information or
request to be removed from our mailing
list to spinalcolumn@shepherd.org, or
by mail to Shepherd Center, Attn: Spinal
Column Mailing List, 2020 Peachtree
Road, NW, Atlanta, Georgia, 30309.
Please include mailing label. Spinal
Column accepts no advertising. Spinal
Column is a registered trademark of
Shepherd Center.
James H. Shepherd, Jr.
Chairman of the Board