UHD’s Safety & Prevention Drive: WE ACT Initiative Elevates Patient Care

By Office of the President | Apr 16, 2024

Safety and prevention are integral to SUNY Downstate and are embraced by all levels of leadership and staff, including attending physicians, residents, nurses, and support personnel. Since the inception of the WE ACT initiative in 2022, UHD has bolstered its efforts to improve care and safety. Through a customized five-step process, which integrates Six Sigma green belt training and Lean efficiency principles, we define issues, analyze data, uncover root causes, implement improvement strategies, and maintain changes to enhance hospital operations.

Since its inception, UHD has made significant progress, with 70 ongoing process improvement projects, including a 79 percent enhancement in the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Patient Safety Indicator (CMS PSI-90) scores—metrics highlighting potentially preventable safety incidents.

WE ACT initiatives have driven improvements across critical PSI-90 domains, such as pressure injuries, anticoagulation management, hospital-acquired infections, pulmonary embolisms, and pleural effusions. Every process enhancement translates to improved patient care, creating lasting impacts, shaping transformations, and implementing positive changes.

I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the leadership and staff at UHD, including chief executive officer David Berger, M.D., MHCM, FACS; senior vice president and chief operating officer Patricia A. Winston, DNP, MS, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, chief quality officer Mohamed Rami Nakeshbandi, M.D., MHA, FACP; chief experience officer Wren Lester, Ph.D., CPXP, CPHQ, and Medical Staff QA coordinator Abdul Rehman, M.D., MPH, FRESPH, and to Systems Engineering director Tyshawn Toney, who led the WE ACT and Sigma Six training.