Winners of the 2023 Peregrine Award for Trauma Innovation Announced

WINTER PARK, Fla., May 11, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Peregrine Health Services, LLC and Trauma System News announce the winners of the inaugural Peregrine Award for Trauma Innovation — UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies and Franciscan Health Crown Point. 

UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies is a state-designated Level I trauma center in Loveland, Colorado. Franciscan Health Crown Point is an ACS-verified Level III trauma center in Crown Point, Indiana. Both centers are being honored for developing creative solutions to challenging problems in trauma patient care and trauma program management.

"It is my pleasure to congratulate the winners of the very first Peregrine Award for Trauma Innovation," said Angie Chisolm, managing partner of Peregrine Health Services. "The goal of the Peregrine Award is to recognize and disseminate fresh ideas that result in better care for injured patients, so we are excited to spotlight these two teams for their innovative approaches to improving trauma care."

The Peregrine Award for Trauma Innovation was introduced in 2023 in partnership with Trauma System News. Nominations were received from trauma centers throughout North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia, and winners were selected by an independent panel of trauma experts. 

Final awards were presented in two categories: one award for Level I or II Trauma Centers and one award for Level III, IV or V Trauma Centers.

Level I-II Winner: Standardizing and Streamlining the Trauma Performance Improvement Process

UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies is the 2023 Peregrine Award Winner in the "Level I or II Trauma Centers" Category. 

The trauma program's winning innovation was submitted by Jessica Cofran, MSN, RN, TCRN, CSTR, CAISS, trauma informatics manager for UCHealth Northern Colorado Region, and Jamie Teasley-Bennett, BSN, RN, TCRN, lead trauma nurse clinician for UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies.

The UCHealth team developed a standardized platform for documenting and reviewing performance improvement and patient safety (PIPS) events. The platform includes a comprehensive PIPS dictionary, standardized guidance on levels of review, referral letter templates, links to key information, and other resources.

According to Cofran, the new platform streamlined the trauma program's PIPS processes: "There has been substantial improvement in the trauma members' understanding of PI action plans and loop closure. Team member satisfaction has improved due to well-defined and streamlined trauma PIPS processes."

Level III-IV-V Winner: Connecting Trauma Patients with Help for Alcohol and Substance Disorders

Franciscan Health Crown Point is the 2023 Peregrine Award Winner in the "Level III, IV or V Trauma Centers" Category.

Franciscan Health's winning innovation was submitted by Jennifer Homan, RN, MSN, CPTI, the hospital's manager of trauma and injury prevention.

The Franciscan Health team created an initiative to overhaul its SBIRT process (Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment). The new process incorporates a peer recovery coach and a substance use disorder licensed social worker who round on patients daily. The reworked SBIRT process enables open discussions with patients who screen positive for substance or alcohol use disorder, with improved intervention and referral rates.

"Our Level III trauma program took an old standard and was able to find flaws in the current process," Homan explained. "With a little innovation, we were able to reinvent the process with just a small investment in human capital."

Winner recognition event on May 19

The winners of the Peregrine Award for Trauma Innovation will be honored on Friday, May 19, at 2 p.m. Eastern during a special online recognition event — Profiles in Trauma Innovation: Improving PIPS and SBIRT. 

"The aim of the Peregrine Award is to spotlight innovations that lead to real improvements in trauma care and program management," said Mark Feinberg, managing partner of Peregrine Health Services. "That is why we are pleased to recognize and honor this year's winners for their vision, dedication and creativity."

About Peregrine Health Services. Peregrine Health Services, LLC is a specialized consulting firm dedicated to helping healthcare organizations optimize emergency department and trauma center performance. Learn more at www.peregrinehs.com.

About Trauma System News. Trauma System News is the only information channel dedicated to trauma leadership and management. Visit www.trauma-news.com. 

Source: Peregrine Health Services, LLC