Cheryl Martin (Host): Dignity Health Bakersfield Memorial Hospital has something to brag about, it's earned the top grade A for its Patient Safety from the Leapfrog Group. We'll learn what this means, how patient safety and quality are delivered, and what it takes to lead staff to achieve this national distinction from Ken Keller, President and CEO of Memorial Hospital. This is Hello Healthy, a Dignity Health podcast. I'm Cheryl Martin. Ken, first of all, congratulations on this national honor.

Ken Keller: Thank you much. We're very pleased to earn it once again this year.

Host: Now, talk about the grade A in patient safety from the Leapfrog Group that Bakersfield Memorial Hospital earned and what a big deal this is.

Ken Keller: Yes, ma'am. The Leapfrog Group is a national agency that oversees and reviews the quality performance of hospitals across the country. And we were fortunate enough again through the springtime to be able to earn this A, which is a national distinction and celebrates our achievements in prioritizing patient safety, really through focusing on the preventable harm and human errors to our patients.

Host: What does this national distinction mean to Bakersfield Memorial Hospital?

Ken Keller: Really, it means three things. First of all, the timeframe for this specific period was really measured during the peak of the pandemic. And it doubles our efforts or redoubles our efforts towards focusing on delivering safely and patient safety during the care that we provide. Second, it reinforces the fact that our team members, our caregivers, our nurses, physicians, and others deliver consistently as we face the challenge of the pandemic. And third, as I mentioned, it reinforces that the staff is dedicated to meeting and exceeding patient safety standards through consistently delivering quality patient care.

Host: Talk about, Ken, what you do to ensure safety and quality at the A level at Memorial Hospital.

Ken Keller: It's a focus that we have on a constant and consistent basis. It's reinforcing our care processes, our workflows, redoubling our efforts in coaching and working with team members to be accountable to deliver safe and effective patient care. It's something that we use through a mantra called "Patient safety is a choice, not an accident." And we want to make sure that we're delivering that to our patients consistently.

Host: Clearly, you are. So, what does it take to lead a staff? You've talked about how dedicated this staff is, but what does it take to keep the motivation going to achieve this national distinction, even though you're not doing it for the distinction, but it's just who you are?

Ken Keller: At Memorial Hospital, we really work on a family effort and our caregivers, our team sees that as a family initiative. We're part of the local fabric of the community here in Bakersfield. And we want to make sure that we're delivering on the commitments that we make to that community and that we're consistently achieving those efforts. So, a lot of it is reinforcing what we already know, asking questions around what are some ways that we can consistently improve on the delivery of care that we provide, re-focusing our efforts when we see those opportunities for improvement, and also taking time to celebrate when we achieve milestones like we have on this one.

Host: You know, you mentioned that the local and how much recognition you've gotten there and how the hospital is perceived, Memorial Hospital was also voted best in Kern County by the 2023 Best of Readers Choice Poll. What does this local recognition mean for you?

Ken Keller: Well, that's something that we're very proud of as well. And what it really means, it reinforces the fact that the community is confident that we're here to deliver the care that we commit to. It reinforces the fact that we isolate and that we continue to dedicate our efforts to striving towards being the best that we can in delivering quality care for our community. And it's something that we're grateful for through our partners throughout the community. And it's the place that we call home. So, we want to make sure that we're taking care of our home.

Host: What is your favorite thing about the team you have at Memorial Hospital?

Ken Keller: The favorite thing that I have about our team, and there's a lot of them. But really, the favorite one is the dedication that the staff has to supporting each other through these long days that we deal with on a constant basis. And the miracles that I get to witness when patients come in. And in one way or the other, most of them are broken somehow and see them when they leave fixed. And so, that's a testament to the quality care. It's a testament to the dedication of our caregivers, nurses, physicians, therapists, techs, food service workers throughout the entire hospital, making sure that we all contribute to the care of that patient.

Host: You've already addressed some of this in what you just said, but is there anything else you would like for patients and the local community to know about Memorial Hospital and the employees working there?

Ken Keller: The major thing that we continue to focus on and want the community to know, is that we're here for them when they need us. And we're also out in the community as well, working to make sure that we deliver a healthier Bakersfield and Kern County.

Host: That's great. Anything else you'd like to share either about this recognition or just about the work at Memorial Hospital?

Ken Keller: The main thing I would reinforce is that patient safety itself doesn't happen by choice. It doesn't happen without the dedicated commitment of our team. And that's an active choice that we make each and every day. And that focus is to deliver the best healthcare that we can for every single patient, every single time. And we look toward the future to continue to elevate the care that we're delivering here.

Host: Well, may you continue to get grade A from those who are surveying the work that you are doing. Thank you so much, Ken Keller, President and CEO of Memorial Hospital. Thanks for talking about these commendations for excellence.

Ken Keller: Thank you for the time today. It was a pleasure and look forward to seeing you in the future.

Host: To learn more, visit dignityhealth.org/bakersfield/leapfrog. That's dignityhealth.org/bakersfield/leapfrog. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels. Check out the full podcast library for other topics of interest to you. And thanks for listening to Hello Healthy, a Dignity Health podcast.