On a recent getaway, some big fish from the healthcare safety and quality movement demonstrated that improving outcomes isn't their only talent.
The winners of a Patient Safety Movement Foundation contest hooked more than 200 fish during their prize trip—a weekend fly-fishing trip with President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, on Sept. 18 and 19.
“There was really no competition. It was more of a daily celebration as we learned of each individual's success on the water,” said Robin Betts, assistant vice president of quality and patient safety at Intermountain Healthcare, based in Salt Lake City.
The winners came from three organizations and were chosen based on how well their organizations performed on patient-safety indicators, such as preventing sepsis and reducing medication errors.
Other winners joining the Carters at the Brigadoon Lodge in the North Georgia mountains were Dr. David Perrott, board chairman of the Hospital Quality Institute, a collaboration of California hospitals; and Tami Minnier, chief quality officer at the UPMC health system in Pittsburgh.
The group pursued their finny prey with the same vigor they use to tackle slippery healthcare safety challenges. Betts wasn't fishing for compliments when she told Outliers she reeled in 11 rainbow trout.
Participants were most impressed with the Carters' enthusiasm, even as the former president battles melanoma. The Carters “were fly-fishing six to eight hours per day and then engaged with our small group in discussing topics ranging from world events to healthcare,” Perrott said. “We were all amazed by the amount of energy and stamina he continues to have.”
