In December 2004, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) launched its “100k Lives Campaign,” challenging the nation’s hospitals to save 100,000 lives in 18 months by implementing practices proven to reduce infections, medical complications, and adverse outcomes.

IHI recently announced that it not only met its 100k goal, but exceeded it. In the campaign’s first 18 months, more than 3,000 hospitals signed on, including 170 in California, saving an estimated 122,300 lives. Participating hospitals implemented some or all of the campaign’s lifesaving best practices, including:

• deploying rapid response teams at the first sign that a patient’s condition is deteriorating
• preventing infections after operations by taking proper steps during and immediately before and after surgery
• preventing adverse drug events by maintaining and monitoring a single
  master list of all medications a patient is taking

Although the campaign has reached its 18-month milestone, there is still much work to be done. CMA encourages all California hospitals to join IHI’s campaign to help prevent avoidable deaths. There’s no cost to participate.

Contact: 866/787-0831.