(Boynton Beach, FL) Bethesda Memorial Hospital has earned Quality Respiratory Care Recognition (QRCR) under a national program aimed at helping patients and families make informed decisions about the quality of the respiratory care services available in hospitals.

About 700 hospitals or approximately 15% of hospitals in the United States have applied for and received this award. Bethesda’s Respiratory Care Department has earned this award every year since 2003.

Hospitals earning the QRCR designation ensure patient safety by agreeing to adhere to a strict set of criteria governing their respiratory care services. To qualify for the recognition, Bethesda provided documentation showing it meets the following conditions:

• All respiratory therapists employed by the hospital to deliver bedside respiratory care services are legally recognized by the state as competent to provide respiratory care services and hold the certified respiratory therapist (CRT) or registered respiratory therapist (RRT) credential.
• Respiratory therapists are available 24 hours.
• Other personnel qualified to perform specific respiratory procedures and the amount of supervision required for personnel to carry out specific procedures must be designated in writing.
• A doctor of medicine is designated as medical director of respiratory care services.

Hospitals that meet the QRCR requirements provide a level of respiratory care consistent with national standards and guidelines, and should be commended for their commitment to quality care. A list of QRCR hospitals is maintained at the association’s website for consumers, YourLungHealth.org.

Since 1959, Bethesda Memorial Hospital, a fully accredited, 401-bed community, not-for-profit hospital has served the residents of South Palm Beach County with a mission “to provide quality health services in a caring manner.” With a distinguished medical staff of 550 physicians in more than 40 areas of specialty, Bethesda Memorial Hospital and its affiliates offer a full array of healthcare services, including a nationally accredited vascular institute, general and endovascular surgery, maternity, neonatal and pediatric intensive care services and the Bethesda Comprehensive Cancer Center, an Affiliate of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute. In February 2008, Bethesda opened its newest addition, the Bethesda Heart Institute, located on the campus of Bethesda Memorial Hospital. This all private room, 39-bed, “heart hospital within a hospital” provides the most comprehensive level of cardiovascular services including: emergency care, diagnostics, interventional care, cardiac surgery and rehabilitation.