Memphis, Tenn., Mar. 11, 2002 - Abbott Laboratories recently named Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis among the 2001 winners of the National Hospital Pharmacy Quality Awards.

Baptist Memphis received two of the top 10 awards -- a second place award and an honorable mention. This is the second year in a row that Baptist's Pharmacy department has been recognized as a top 10 finalist in Abbott's pharmacy awards program. This year marks the ninth anniversary of this awards program, which honors the work of pharmacists at leading hospitals.

"Hospital pharmacists are dedicated to improving patient care, but their contributions are not often recognized," said Laurie Hernandez, general manager, drug and drug delivery systems, Hospital Products Division, Abbott Laboratories. "Abbott is committed to honoring hospital pharmacists for their outstanding achievements."

Earning one of three second-place awards and receiving a $5,000 institutional grant was "The Clinical Pharmacist's Role in Implementing Expanded Indications for Low Molecular Weight Heparin Bridging Program." The project facilitated the safe and early transition from hospital to home for patients on effective anticoagulation.

"The Clinical Pharmacist's Role in Providing Safe Dofetilide Medication Use: Initiation of a Critical Pathway to Avoid Adverse Drug Events and Complications from Antiarrhythmic Therapy," was among six honorable mention winners, receiving a $1,500 institutional grant. The pharmacist-physician collaborative team at Baptist Memphis developed a protocol for the safe administration of dofetilide, a highly restricted antiarrhythmic medication. Plans exist to expand this program to the other 16 hospitals in the Baptist Memorial Health Care system.

Abbott Laboratories is a global, diversified health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals, nutritionals and medical products, including devices and diagnostics. The company employs approximately 70,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries.

One of the largest not-for-profit health systems in the United States, Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation was created in 1981 to provide an integrated health care delivery system offering a full continuum of care to communities throughout the Mid-South. With the intention of caring for people close to their homes, the BMHCC network consists of 17 hospitals including a hospital for women; more than 2,500 affiliated physicians; home, hospice and psychiatric care throughout the tri-state area of Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee; minor medical centers and clinics; a chain of surgery, rehabilitation and other outpatient centers; and an education system highlighted by the Baptist College of Health Sciences. It is one of the top-rated integrated health care delivery systems in the country, according to the American Hospital Association, and the only Memphis-based provider that spans three states.

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