Aspirus honored for collaborative healthcare

By Patrick Lynn

Aspirus has been honored for being a top performer across the state.

The Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality (WCHQ) recognized Aspirus at its annual Statewide Quality Improvement Event on June 5 in Madison. Susan Schneider, MD, chief medical officer and Matt Brewer, vice president of operations and chief nursing officer, Aspirus Clinics, accepted the award presented by Gabrielle Rude, Ph.D., WCHQ director of practice transformation.

WCHQ annually honors a select number of member organizations for superior clinical performance and patient outcomes.

Aspirus ranked first among WCHQ members on their scores related to screening patients for depression. One out of six adults will have depression sometime in their lives. Depression complicates chronic conditions and it can contribute to substance abuse and misuse problems. Research shows that 80 percent of patients with depression will improve with treatment.

“Aspirus is doing an outstanding job of screening their patients for depression and enabling early interventions,” said WCHQ President/CEO Chris Queram. “It takes perseverance and hard work to hard-wire processes in place to ensure patients are screened.”

Aspirus is located at 5409 Vern Holmes Dr. in Stevens Point.