Main Line Health Wins American Hospital Association Quality Prize
The American Hospital Association (AHA) announced that Main Line Health in Bryn Mawr, Pa., has been named the 2023 recipient of the American Hospital Association Quest for Quality Prize.
In addition, Atlantic Health System in Morristown, N.J., and University of Chicago Medicine, in Chicago, have been awarded Citations of Merit. All three received the recognition during the AHA’s Leadership Summit in Seattle on July 17.
The AHA Quest for Quality Prize is presented annually to recognize exceptional health care leadership and innovation in improving quality and advancing health in America’s communities. The AHA Quest for Quality Prize was first awarded in 2002.
“The many noteworthy achievements made by this year’s AHA Quest for Quality Prize honorees have truly enhanced the efficiency, effectiveness and equity of healthcare within their respective communities,” said Rick Pollack, AHA president and CEO, in a statement. “Based on their innovative models of care, services and collaborations, they are exceptional champions of quality and very deserving of this recognition.”
Main Line Health, comprising four acute-care hospitals and a rehabilitative medicine facility, was selected by a multi-disciplinary committee of health-care quality and patient safety experts for its systemwide integration of quality, safety, and equity and for the governing and operating structures supporting these goals.
Main Line Health began its equity work more than 10 years ago, and efforts to increase equity and inclusion infuse the organization from the board Quality Safety and Equity Committee to front-line staff — a workforce that is motivated to provide excellent care and one that feels supported by a just culture.
The leadership team members at Main Line Health have demonstrated engagement, and a depth of knowledge about achieving quality goals, according to AHA. Clinical environmental workgroups (CEWs) work across facilities to achieve alignment, and unit-based councils enable front-line staff to participate in quality improvement activities.
AHA said that Main Line Health’s dedication to innovating to promote better care is evident throughout its operations. For example, its new behavioral health unit is a strong commitment to meeting community needs and could serve as a national model for the field. Its significant investment in improving obstetrical and neonatal care has been applauded, and its Disparities in Care Colloquium continues to advance health equity within the system and its community. The organization’s safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable and patient- and family-centered (STEEEP) performance dashboard has furthered the identification of key disparities in clinical metrics.
Atlantic Health System
Atlantic Health System is being recognized for creating the Atlantic COVID Recovery Center (ACRC), a multi-specialty, interdisciplinary, longitudinal program designed to evaluate and treat patients with persistent COVID symptoms. This innovative initiative led to the creation of a regional network of primary care physicians who follow these vulnerable patients. It also led to the formation of a medical home for this complex and evolving population as more continues to be learned about long-term consequences of COVID. The center continues to see a steady patient increase — enrolling new patients, expanding access and collaborating with additional clinicians to meet demand.
A second area of excellence is Atlantic Health System’s nurse cross-training. The organization was among the first wave of hospitals to receive an overabundance of COVID patients, and because there were few children hospitalized early in the pandemic, adult nurses trained pediatric nurses in COVID intensive care unit (ICU) protocols, so they also could work in the adult ICU. Later, when respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) surged, pediatric nurses trained the adult ICU nurses to care for kids with RSV.
University of Chicago Medicine
UChicago Medicine, an academic health system based on Chicago’s South Side, is being recognized for its performance improvement efforts emphasizing diversity and equity. It has been collecting racial and ethnic data on patients for more than a decade, and more recently, the organization eliminated a major disparity in maternal health. Younger Black mothers were experiencing gestational hypertension at a higher rate than white women. By providing education through multiple channels, the organization increased awareness of the risk of gestational hypertension among Black mothers and the rate of occurrence dropped to a level equal to that in white mothers. UChicago Medicine also is using its simulation center to promote equity by allowing clinicians to practice communication skills with diverse patients.
UChicago Medicine’s health equity strategy extends beyond its walls with multiple programs designed to address the complex health and social needs of its community. A community council advises the organization on areas of interest to the broader community and has working groups focused on maternal and child health, trauma care and violence prevention, and adult health. The organization also uses patient and community focus groups to address diabetes management in patients of color.
