News

Summit Pacific Medical Center has been recognized with two prestigious awards from the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA), celebrating the organization’s commitment to patient safety, innovation, and quality of care.

At the WSHA Rural Hospital Leadership Conference held June 25 in Chelan, Summit Pacific received the Gold-level Critical Access Hospital Achievement of Quality Excellence—the program’s highest distinction—and the Rural Quality Everyday Extraordinary Award for its innovative Telesitting Program.

“These awards reflect the heart of who we are as a rural hospital,” said Josh Martin, Chief Executive Officer of Summit Pacific Medical Center. “We are committed to finding smarter, more effective ways to deliver care while keeping patients safe. I’m incredibly proud of our team’s hard work and willingness to innovate to serve our community.”

Gold-Level Achievement of Quality Excellence

Summit Pacific was one of only a few rural hospitals in Washington to earn Gold-level recognition through WSHA’s Critical Access Hospital Achievement of Quality Excellence. The award highlights exceptional performance on key measures, including fall prevention, sepsis care, and opioid harm reduction.

The recognition reflects Summit Pacific’s system-wide focus on continuous improvement, staff collaboration, and data-driven care delivery.

“We are incredibly proud of our Critical Access Hospital Achievement of Quality Excellence recipients,” said Darcy Jaffe, WSHA Senior Vice President of Clinical Excellence. “Everyone, no matter where they live in the state, should be able to access quality health care, and outstanding members such as Summit Pacific help make that possible.”

Everyday Extraordinary: Telesitting Technology Prevents Harm

In addition to the Gold Award, WSHA honored Summit Pacific with the Rural Quality Everyday Extraordinary Award for its groundbreaking Telesitting Program, designed to enhance patient safety in the Acute Care Unit and Emergency Department.

Using AvaSure technology, the program deploys virtual nurse assistants to monitor at-risk patients in real time. These assistants can verbally intervene when needed, helping to prevent harmful incidents while protecting patient privacy. The system does not record audio or video, ensuring full compliance with healthcare privacy standards.

From August 2024 through February 2025, the program successfully prevented 234 adverse events, including:
• 119 patient falls
• 51 other safety-related incidents
• 26 elopements (patients leaving without care)
• 26 device-related concerns
• 12 incidents of abusive behavior

“This is a powerful example of how rural hospitals are driving innovation to improve care,” said Darcy Jaffe. “Summit Pacific’s Telesitting Program is a smart, scalable solution that helps solve a real need in rural emergency and acute care settings.”