For the third year, Vanderbilt Medical Center has earned the Quality Respiratory Care Recognition (QRCR), a program aimed at helping patients and families make informed decisions about the quality of respiratory care services available in hospitals.
“We have a staff here at Vanderbilt of approximately 90 respiratory therapists, and we are all very pleased and honored to participate in this program,” said Anna Ambrose, R.R.T., director of Respiratory Care.
The QRCR designation is managed by the American Association for Respiratory Care, and VMC is one of about 700 hospitals in the country to earn this recognition.
Recognized hospitals agree to adhere to a strict set of criteria:
• All respiratory therapists employed by the hospital to deliver bedside respiratory care services are legally recognized by the state as competent to provide respiratory care services and hold the CRT or RRT credential.
• Respiratory therapists are available 24 hours.
• Other personnel qualified to perform specific respiratory procedures and the amount of supervision required for personnel to carry out specific procedures must be designated in writing.
• A doctor of medicine or osteopathy is designated as medical director of respiratory care services.