IntelliCentrics Announces 2014 5 Rings Award Winners

DALLAS, Aug. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- IntelliCentrics, Inc., a leader in operational security and compliance management, today named the 2014 winners of the 5 Rings Award. The annual program recognizes hospitals for creating a culture of vigilance to safeguard their facilities, their employees and their patients. Winning hospitals were selected from the more than 6,500 healthcare facilities that use IntelliCentrics' Reptrax vendor credentialing service as part of their ongoing security and compliance efforts.

"We created the 5 Rings Award to recognize hospitals that are taking proactive steps to make their hospitals safer and highlight their best practices," said Mike Sheehan, CEO of IntelliCentrics. "However, it's not enough for hospitals to create safety policies and procedures. They need to adopt a culture of vigilance, where everyone feels accountable and responsible for enforcing rules and taking the steps needed to improve safety and security."

Every day, thousands of pharmaceutical and medical device representatives and service personnel come into hospitals and into contact with patients. Hospitals have a duty to know who enters and exits their facilities, both to prevent infections as well as to improve safety and security.

This year's winning hospitals are:

• Broward Health Medical Center, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
• John Peter Smith Hospital, Fort Worth, Texas
• Mercy Hospital & Medical Center, Chicago, Ill.
• Pali Momi Medical Center, Aiea, Hawaii
• St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Hospitals were ranked and scored based on: volume of visitors, percentage of visitors who complied with hospital credentialing requirements; ongoing improvement to compliance scores; steps taken to educate staff about security policy enforcement; and regular communications with site visitors about the facility's expectations.

In addition to ensuring that each person in their facility is who they say they are, has the proper training, insurance and background checks, hospitals need to know if they have the necessary immunizations to prevent infections and the spread of infectious diseases. One specific example is confirming that employees and third-party visitors have been immunized against the seasonal flu.

"A recent study suggests there is a strong correlation between how many healthcare personnel are vaccinated against the flu and how many cases of flu are reported in the community," Sheehan said. "So ensuring that hospital employees and third-party visitors are vaccinated for the seasonal flu can actually improve community health."

This year's winners join an impressive group of healthcare organizations that have been recognized for their vigilance, including: LDS Hospital (operated by Intermountain Healthcare), Salt Lake City, Utah; Boston Medical Center, Boston, Mass.; The Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Neb.; Ellis Hospital (operated by Ellis Medicine), Schenectady, N.Y.; and University of Cincinnati Medical Center (operated by UC Health), Cincinnati, Ohio. To learn more about the IntelliCentrics 5 Rings Award Program and about the industry-leading work done at the winning facilities, please visit http://intellicentrics.com/5-rings/.

About IntelliCentrics, Inc.

IntelliCentrics simplifies the world of regulatory compliance by providing resources and tools to help hospitals make their facilities safer. With a dedication to safety and innovation, IntelliCentrics works with experts in a variety of fields to deliver comprehensive security plans. IntelliCentrics, Inc. owns and operates Reptrax, the requested and referenced standard for healthcare vendor privileging.

IntelliCentrics also recognizes five vendor representatives every year who contribute to patient safety through compliance to hospital policies, customer service and pursuit of excellence. To learn more about the 5 Rings Awards Program for Vendors, please visit http://www.intellicentrics.com/5-rings/.

CONTACT: 
Jenn Riggle
For IntelliCentrics
[email protected]
469-375-0215

Greg Goyne
Vice President of Marketing
[email protected]
972-316-6523

SOURCE IntelliCentrics, Inc.