Phelps Earns National Recognition for Respiratory Care

American Association for Respiratory Care Recognizes Quality

Phelps Memorial Hospital Center has earned national recognition for its respiratory care services from the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC), a membership organization representing more than 46,000 respiratory care professionals nationwide. About 700 hospitals or approximately 15% of hospitals in the United States have applied for and received this award.

"We are extremely pleased to have received this national recognition for the exceptional respiratory care services we offer to the community," said Michael McGrath, Director of Respiratory Care at Phelps.

The Quality Respiratory Care Recognition program, started by AARC in 2003, helps consumers identify facilities that provide a level of respiratory care that is consistent with national standards and guidelines. To qualify for the designation, a hospital must provide documentation showing it meets the following criteria:

• All of its respiratory therapists are either legally recognized by the state as competent to provide respiratory care services or are credentialed as Certified Respiratory Therapy technicians (CRTs) or Registered Respiratory Therapists (RRTs);
• Respiratory therapists are available 24 hours/day;
• Other personnel qualified to perform specific respiratory procedures and the amount of supervision required for personnel to carry out those procedures are designated in writing;
• A doctor of medicine or osteopathy is designated as medical director of respiratory care services.

Respiratory therapists are specially trained healthcare professionals who work under physicians' orders to provide a wide range of breathing treatments and other services to people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, AIDS and other lung or lung-related conditions. They also care for premature infants and are key members of lifesaving response teams charged with handling medical emergencies. At Phelps, they are a part of the multidisciplinary team that works with pulmonologists to prepare patients for thoracic surgery, and they also work closely with the patients during the recovery process.

A list of QRCR hospitals is maintained at the AARC website for consumers, www.YourLungHealth.org.

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