Getinge Group Announces Designation of AnMed Health as Center of Excellence for Its Commitment to Safe Patient Handling

WAYNE, N.J., Sept. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Getinge Group today announced that Diligent^® Consulting, a program of its ArjoHuntleigh brand, has named AnMed Health a Center of Excellence in recognition of its demonstrated commitment to safe patient handling and minimizing patient and care provider injuries. AnMed Health, South Carolina's largest independent, not-for-profit healthcare system, is one of only five medical centers in the United States to have received this Center of Excellence designation. After implementing a program designed by Diligent Consulting, AnMed Health facilities decreased patient handling-related injuries by 82 percent, workers' compensation costs by 98 percent, patient falls by 39 percent and hospital-acquired pressure ulcers by 49 percent, achieving nearly $2.6 million in total annual savings over two years.

"As part of our dedication to providing healthcare facilities with integrated solutions that help improve the care of patients affected by reduced mobility and prevent adverse events, our Diligent Consulting team works with health systems to implement programs that will result in safe patient handling," said Brian Straeb, President, Patient and Post Acute Care US, Getinge Group. "We are pleased to recognize AnMed Health as a Center of Excellence for all it has done to protect patients and employees from injury. It has reduced work-related injuries and costs throughout the system and created a culture of care that is focused on safe patient healing."

In 2000, ArjoHuntleigh founded Diligent Consulting to help healthcare facilities address the challenges they face with daily tasks of lifting and transferring patients. Diligent developed several facility-wide programs to help hospitals promote early mobility and patient hygiene and help prevent pressure ulcers and venous thromboembolism. Over the last 15 years, Diligent Consulting has worked with more than 800 healthcare facilities to develop and sustain these programs, which are powered by a consultancy team that mentors, trains and collaborates with the facility's management and staff to implement proven clinical practices. Diligent's programs have achieved improved outcomes for both patients and caregivers and have resulted in an average 84 percent reduction in staff injuries. For more information, please visit www.arjohuntleigh.us/diligent.

About Getinge Group
Getinge Group is a leading global provider of innovative solutions for operating rooms, intensive-care units, hospital wards, sterilization departments, elderly care and for life science companies and institutions. Getinge Group operates under the three brands of ArjoHuntleigh, Getinge and Maquet. With a genuine passion for life we build quality and safety into every system. Our unique value proposition mirrors the continuum of care, enhancing efficiency throughout the clinical pathway. Based on our first-hand experience and close partnerships, we are able to exceed expectations from customers—improving the every-day life for people, today and tomorrow.

About AnMed Health
AnMed Health is a 695-bed, not-for-profit health system serving the Upstate and northeast Georgia. The system is anchored by AnMed Health Medical Center, a 461-bed acute care hospital which has earned the prestigious Magnet designation. The five-hospital system includes AnMed Health Women's and Children's Hospital, AnMed Health Rehabilitation Hospital, Cannon Memorial Hospital in Pickens, S.C., and Elbert Memorial Hospital in Elberton, Ga. With more than 400 physicians and 3,700 employees, AnMed Health is Anderson County's largest employer. Learn more about AnMed Health, an affiliate of Carolinas HealthCare System, at www.AnMedHealth.org.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160115/322743LOGO

SOURCE Getinge Group