Extended Medical Listings

The Hospital You Trust To Care For Those You Love

Desert Regional Medical Center has been a community partner for more than 63 years, offering sophisticated and high-quality healthcare across a wide range of specialties, including those for which Desert Regional is the only provider in the Coachella Valley. Our growth as a hospital this past year has continued with new programs and widespread recognition for the quality of our care.

IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR, Desert Regional was named a Best Regional Hospital by U.S. News & World Report for San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. We were the only Coachella Valley Hospital to receive this designation, and we were recognized for our programs in Gynecology and in Ear, Nose and Throat.

WE EXPANDED our ability to provide some of the latest cardiac care as a STEMI Receiving Center with the installation of new equipment in our emergency department that can receive transmissions of vital heart data from ambulances in the field and can then send that to the smart phones of doctors who are responding to the call. We also added a new program in electrophysiology to treat heart rhythm disorders.

WE WERE NAMED an Advanced Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission, and we opened a specialized seven-bed Neuro Intensive Care Unit to care for stroke and brain trauma patients. Our interventional neurologist can remove clots that cause a stroke by threading a tiny catheter through the blood vessels and into the brain.

WE OPENED a La Quinta-based satellite clinic for our Comprehensive Cancer Center at 47647 Caleo Bay just off Washington Street, south of Highway 111. The cancer team joins our Institute of Clinical Orthopedics and Neurosciences and our full-service Imaging Center in the La Quinta Medical Center to provide a convenient way for mid- and East Valley residents to reach our medical professionals.

Desert Regional marked some important milestones this past year for two programs that are vital to the well-being of our community. Our Level II Trauma Program celebrated its 30th anniversary, and our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit celebrated its 20th. Ours is the Coachella Valley's only designated Trauma Center, serving more than 6,000 square miles of southeastern California. Our emergency department treated more than 60,000 patients last year.

Our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit has cared for more than 7,900 premature infants since the unit opened in 1990 with four beds. Now at 30 beds, the unit is staffed by more than 85 clinical professionals serving the needs of the smallest of babies. Desert Regional is committed to the needs of newborns and their parents, delivering 3,300 babies last year.

Desert Regional Medical Center remains committed to the long-term health needs of the Coachella Valley. We also recognize that the medical professions will be a key growth engine for our economy into the future. That's why we continue to support the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership's Health Industry Council, a part of the Career Pathways program to help local students develop into medical professionals. We train nurses through partnerships with College of the Desert and California State University San Bernardino's Palm Desert Campus. And we will be a key partner with the University of California – Riverside School of Medicine, which opens in 2012. As a teaching hospital, Desert Regional will not only offer a place to train and retain the next generation of doctors, but we also will be contributing to better healthcare and economic growth in our beloved Coachella Valley.

As always, we remain the hospital you trust to care for those you love.

Desert Regional Medical Center Achieves Recognition for Quality Care

By Erika Z. Byrd

Quality is the vision that drives every action at Desert Regional Medical Center. It is what patients want and expect. But what patients may not know is the extent to which this award-winning hospital goes to ensure the delivery of quality care.

U.S. News & World Report recognized Desert Regional Medical Center in 2011 as a Best Regional Hospital, ranking third out of 41 in the Inland Empire. It was the only hospital recognized in the Coachella Valley. Desert Regional Medical Center was noted for top performance in gynecology and ear, nose and throat care. It also has received more than two dozen accolades for its quality initiatives over the past two years.

"These awards and quality measures validate our long-term commitment to providing the highest-quality care possible," says Sandra Hooper, RN, Desert Regional's chief nursing officer. "Our motivation is to always be focused on the patient."

In just the past year alone, Desert Regional Medical Center earned three new certifications from national organizations, along with re-accreditation of several existing designations.

"Applying for and maintaining these certifications is above and beyond," says Sandra J. Martin, Director of Clinical Quality Services. "Our leadership wants us to be transparent by collecting and reporting data to visibly demonstrate our efforts to exceed the standards of care."

Patients may be encouraged to know that behind the primary medical personnel who serve them is a team of healthcare professionals, including Infection Prevention Nurses and Performance Improvement Nurse Analysts, whose sole goal is to focus on clinical quality improvement. With a new slew of state and federal healthcare legislation coming into effect, which will require more stringent documentation and compliance with standards of care, Desert Regional Medical Center is well positioned to shine as a recognized leader in quality care.

NEW DESIGNATIONS/CERTIFICATIONS

Among its many certifications, Desert Regional Medical Center obtained the following awards in 2010 and 2011:

Advanced Certification — Advanced Primary Stroke Center — The Joint Commission

Advanced Certification — Heart Failure Program — The Joint Commission
Desert Regional Medical Center is the only hospital in the Coachella Valley and one of only five in California to achieve this certification.

Re-accreditation — Chest Pain Center with PCI — Society of Chest Pain Centers

Re-designation – STEMI Receiving Center — Riverside County

Designation — Baby-Friendly Hospital — Baby-Friendly USA, Inc. Desert Regional Medical Center was one of 108 hospitals in the United States to receive this designation which is sponsored by UNICEF and the World Health Organization in recognition of hospitals that promote healthy breast feeding among new mothers.

Desert Regional Medical Center
1150 N. Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262
1-760-323-6511
www.DesertRegional.com