April 11, 2003

FYI campaign: Know your codes

The first in a series of posters to help MGHers prepare for the upcoming survey of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) was distributed last week featuring the hospital's new code identification system.

As part of the continuing "FYI" campaign, the posters are meant to keep MGH staff and employees apprised of important information related to working within the hospital community. The JCAHO survey is expected to take place in the fall.

The poster (shown at right) depicts important information about the new code identification system, which the hospital currently is implementing to help improve the way MGHers identify an emergency for a fire or cardiac arrest. Now when either type of emergency is taking place, employees can call a simplified phone number (617) 726-3333 and call a "code blue" for a cardiac arrest emergency or "code red" for a fire emergency. When MGHers call these codes and other stat calls on the centralized phone number, the appropriate response team can be notified immediately.

The new code system is one of many initiatives the hospital is implementing to improve internal and external responses to any type of emergency. The code blue and code red references also are more commonly used as emergency alerts in other institutions and agencies across the country.

For more information about the new code identification system, call Maryanne Spicer at (617) 726-5109 or Colleen Snydeman, RN, at (617) 726-3727.