9:10am | The Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation awarded the adult cystic fibrosis program at Long Beach Memorial its Quality Care Award. The award was instituted in 2008 and is presented each year to recipients that are chosen based on a long list of quality improvement criteria. The adult cystic fibrosis program at Long Beach Memorial was among 11 centers chosen out of 32 CF centers in the country to receive the award.

Long Beach Memorial was chosen based on “sustained quality improvement work that is improving outcomes.” In addition to the significant improvements that were made to the overall quality of patient care, the Long Beach Memorial adult CF program set out to improve its patients’ lung capacity by five percent per year for two years through patient education. The team streamlined patient visits, increased office hours, and established a separate area where adult CF patients can be seen. In addition, a designated nurse practitioner and a respiratory therapist were added to the care team.

“Cystic fibrosis care in adults is very complex and multidisciplinary,” says Jeffrey Riker, M.D., pulmonologist and physician lead for the adult CF program at Long Beach Memorial. “We are very proud to receive this award, and recognized as a top adult cystic fibrosis center in the country.”

One of the keys to Long Beach Memorial’s success is its CF transitional care program. Since children with CF are living longer, there’s a need to be able to smoothly transition adolescents and young adults into the “adult” health care setting. The pediatric CF center at Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach works hand-in-hand with Long Beach Memorial’s adult pulmonologists and patient care team to provide coordinated, specialized care as the patients transition from the pediatric to adult care setting. Both pediatric and adult pulmonologists regularly communicate and consult on cases, before transition and after. Doctors, social workers, nurses, and nurse navigators work together for successful transition to adult care. Adult CF patients are able to live longer lives with this coordinated transition between Miller Children’s and Long Beach Memorial, which adds to the success of both the pediatric and adult programs.

Long Beach Memorial is one of only three CF Foundation-accredited adult CF programs in Southern California. The public can view key medical outcomes for Long Beach Memorial and other accredited care centers by visiting www.cff.org/treatments/CareCenterNetwork/CareCenterData/.