Salinas, Calif. – November 1, 2016 – For the eighth consecutive year, Natividad Medical Center (NMC) has received an Award of Excellence in Obstetrics from BETA Healthcare Group (BETA), the largest professional liability insurer of hospitals in California. Natividad successfully completed both tiers of BETA’s award and risk management program, “Quest for Zero,” which is focused on improving patient safety and reliability, as well as reducing risk in obstetrics. By demonstrating 100 percent compliance with BETA requirements, Natividad Medical Center has qualified for a nine percent reduction in its liability insurance premiums.

“The recognition from BETA Healthcare Group honors the dedication of the entire obstetrics team here at Natividad,” said Peter Chandler, MD, obstetrics and gynecology service director at NMC. “We are proud to provide our community with world class perinatal care and patient safety, and are pleased to once again meet the goals set forth for our program.”

BETA visits NMC once a year to track the hospital’s progress toward meeting set goals and initiatives. NMC met all Tier 1 requirements, which measure clinicians’ knowledge of high-risk areas of obstetrics and their use of standard terminology for fetal heart rate monitoring, in accordance with National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

In addition, NMC implemented the following Tier 2 strategies (selected by the hospital to best meet the needs of its patient population):

1. A multi-departmental and interdisciplinary protocol for the management and treatment of preeclampsia/eclampsia, a dangerous pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure.
2. A medication safety “quiet zone,” designed to provide a designated area for medication retrieval without distraction and other safety parameters for high risk medications.

NMC accepted the Award of Excellence at BETA’s Risk Symposium and Awards Ceremony, held this past September in Huntington Beach, California.

About BETA Healthcare Group (BETA)
BETA Healthcare Group is the largest professional liability insurer of hospitals in California, providing coverage to more than 200 hospitals and healthcare facilities. BETA also has a long-established commitment to physicians which continues to grow with BETA covering nearly 6,000 physicians and more than 50 medical groups. In addition to primary liability coverage, BETA provides an entire suite of alternative risk and insurance services, including excess liability coverage, third-party claims administration services, risk management consulting services and claims management consulting services. Whether with hospitals, medical groups, clinics or hospices, BETA has earned a reputation for financial strength, rate stability, quality service and breadth of coverage that is unparalleled in the industry.

About Natividad Medical Center (NMC)
Owned and operated by Monterey County, NMC is a 172-bed, acute-care hospital providing health care services to county residents for more than 131 years. Based in Salinas, California, NMC offers inpatient, outpatient, emergency, diagnostic and specialty medical care. NMC provides more than 38,000 patient days of care each year and has more than 52,000 emergency department visits per year. NMC is a Level II Trauma Center providing the immediate availability of specialized personnel, equipment and services to treat the most severe and critical injuries. NMC’s Trauma Center is a vital community service locally that saves lives and eliminates the need to fly critically injured patients to a distant trauma center. NMC is ranked No. 1 in newborn deliveries in Monterey County and is the only teaching hospital on the Central Coast through its affiliation with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). With a medical staff of more than 300 physicians, NMC’s mission is to continually monitor and improve the health of the people, including the vulnerable, in Monterey County through coordinated, affordable high-quality health care. For more information, please call 831-755-4111 or visit www.natividad.com.