2007 Annual Report > Patient Care

Patient care

Park Nicollet Health Services holds patient safety as one of its top priorities. We also look for ways to improve how we deliver our services – by offering programs at our clinics, opening new avenues for patient access or joining with others to advance patient care.

• Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital received national recognition for its work in patient safety. Methodist Hospital is one of two adult hospitals in Minnesota and only 41 in America to be recognized in the 2007 Leapfrog Top Hospitals Quality and Safety Survey.
• Disease prevention is an important part of patient care. We expanded women's heart screenings from one clinic to two. During a personal 90-minute screening, we identify a woman's risk of heart disease, listen to her concerns, and develop an action plan for a healthy future.
• Park Nicollet improved several of its Web sites on parknicollet.com to help patients better understand our services and furnish visitors with detailed information around chronic conditions and much more. Our newly updated Obstetrics and Gynecology site carries a fresh, new design and health information for women from early womanhood, through pregnancy and menopause. For more on our specialty Web sites, consult our list of specialties.
• International Diabetes Center at Park Nicollet partnered with UnitedHealthcare and Wheaton Franciscan Medical Group in Wisconsin to improve diabetes care and outcomes using the center's Diabetes Connections program. The program brings health care providers, doctors and patients together to improve diabetes care by actively involving patients in managing their illness, and giving them the education required to live a healthy life.
• Park Nicollet introduced Quick Check services at six of our urgent care locations. Quick Check reduces waiting time for patients with minor ailments and illnesses such as sore throat, ear pain, sinus pressure, irritated eyes, pink eye, bladder or urinary tract infections, rash and more. If patients have symptoms that are appropriate for Quick Check, they are seen by a nurse, will have any needed lab work done, and then will be seen by an urgent care clinician for evaluation and treatment.
• Park Nicollet reaches more than 10,000 patients a year with its coaching services, health education classes and support groups. Our goal is to teach patients how to stay healthy and manage an illness.
• TRIA Orthopaedic Center began offering free TRIA SmartBody Seminars in 2007. Each seminar focuses on different sports, such as dance and golfing. It goes over injury prevention tips, how to interpret pain, treatment of common injuries, how to stretch, strengthening and more.