Parkridge Medical Center has reached an agreement with intensivist group Intensive Care Consortium Healthcare (ICC) for management and staffing services, effective April 2, 2018. ICC intensivists will provide 24/7 coverage to the critical care units at Parkridge Medical Center.

"ICC's management and staffing solutions bring demonstrated value in critical care, and we are excited to integrate their intensivists into our ICU teams," said Kevin Lewis, MD, chief medical officer of Parkridge Health System. "Their philosophy of critical care closely aligns with ours, and we believe the leadership of ICC intensivists will be of great benefit to our patients."

ICC intensivists - board certified physicians who have additional certification in critical care medicine - will closely collaborate with medical and nursing staffs to provide a seamless continuity of care that emphasizes personalized patient care, which increases patient and family satisfaction rates. The group also has a proven track record of reducing complication and mortality rates, length of stay and unnecessary admissions.

Protocols developed by ICC address frequently overlooked quality parameters in critical care, driving positive outcomes in comprehensive stroke support, congestive heart failure, respiratory failure, severe sepsis management and support for advanced cardiovascular services. ICC has also implemented clinical pathways that reduce ventilator days, sepsis mortality and ICU complication rates.

Parkridge Medical Center has 24 critical-care beds in its Medical Intensive Care and Surgical Intensive Care units. ICC intensivists will provide coverage to patients in each unit and work with critical care teams that include specialist physicians, specially trained nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, physical therapists, dietitians, palliative care experts and social workers.

HCA, parent company of Parkridge Health System, has owned ICC since 2017.