Baylor Regional Medical Center At Plano Wins Prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award

PLANO, Texas, Jan. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Achieving greatness is not easy, but it has been accomplished at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano. They have secured the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award - the first hospital ever to win it in Texas.

Baylor Plano was one of three U.S. organizations selected to receive the 2013 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. They were chosen during a rigorous evaluation by an independent board of examiners in seven areas defined by the Baldrige criteria: leadership, strategic planning, customer focus, measurement analysis, knowledge management, workforce focus, operations focus, and results.

Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker commended the 2013 Baldrige winners for being leaders in "innovative practices, dynamic management, sound financial performance, outstanding employee and customer satisfaction, and a solid commitment to excellence and proven results," Pritzker said. "The Baldrige program has had a tangible impact on the success of thousands of organizations and our nation's economy…they will undoubtedly continue that legacy to serve as role models for their peers."

Baylor Plano opened in North Texas in 2004 as part of the Baylor Health Care System, which recently merged with Scott & White Health. The 160 bed acute care hospital has consistently performed in the top 10 percent of hospitals nationwide and ended fiscal year 2013 with a 98.7 rating for core measures for the all or none bundle, according to MIDAS (Medical Information Data Analysis System), a comparative data source for clinical outcomes.

Jerri Garison, president of the Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano, was delighted to learn that her hospital won the prestigious award.  Garison explained how they initially began the Baldrige journey, not to win an award, but to learn how to achieve performance excellence and implement best practices that helped other hospitals improve.  

Following Baldrige practices, Baylor Plano remodeled systems to reduce readmissions and increase cost avoidance. The hospital participated in two key ABC Baylor performance improvement projects that epitomize their successes in taking an analytical-humanitarian standpoint in these areas. By identifying sepsis, or blood infection, treatment as a focus area in a pilot project using Sg2 data, a Chicago-based think tank, they modified their practice patterns to slash laboratory and pharmacy charges totaling more than $256,000.

Moreover, their participation in Project Re-Engineering Discharge (Project RED), in collaboration with the Boston University Medical Center and the Texas Hospital Association, aligned strategies to reengineer the hospital discharge processes, and thus reduce readmissions within 30 days for elderly heart failure patients. Through the six-month trial, there was a 44.7 percent decrease in the readmission rate, and proactive systems were implemented to ensure the patient is cared for after they are discharged by scheduling follow-up visits right away and educating patients, especially regarding what medication they should and should not be taking.

Garison, a former nurse, relates to the Baldrige practices that are process and outcome oriented. "Using systematic processes and looking at clinical data fits so well with nursing," she said. "Part of being a nurse is that you don't want anyone to leave the hospital with complications. Process improvement is the answer to that... modeling ourselves after past Baldrige winners and employing a lean methodology to increase efficiency and reduce waste, we were able to make a significant reduction with no change in the quality of care."

Thousands of organizations worldwide use the Baldrige criteria to guide their operations and improve performances. The criteria are regularly updated and reflect the leading edge of validated management practices.

Established by Congress in 1987, the Baldrige Award is managed by the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program (BPEP) of the U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in cooperation with the private sector.

Baldrige encourages organizations to learn from the best practices among the three engines that power the economic strength of America's economy - business, education, and healthcare.  Access to high-quality and affordable health care is vital to U.S. competitiveness and individual well-being. Baldrige helps healthcare systems improve clinical outcomes and reduce costs.   Education propels economic growth.  Baldrige helps school districts to create a capable workforce.  Productivity is the path to bottom-line business success.  Baldrige helps businesses improve revenue.  With this improvement scenario repeating itself around the country, Baldrige effectively changes the competitiveness and prosperity of our nation, one organization, one community, and one state at a time.

Moreover, the program raises awareness about the importance of performance excellence in driving the U.S. and global economy; provides organizational assessment tools and criteria; and educates leaders in businesses, schools, health care organizations, and government and nonprofit organizations about the practices of national role models.

"For a quarter century, Baldrige has provided organizations with the framework to achieve world class performance excellence," said Robert Fangmeyer, Director of the Baldrige Program.  "Our program helps educators, businesses and healthcare systems examine their practices, benchmark against the best organizations and implement the necessary changes to become global leaders in performance excellence. The Baldrige framework is a set of evolving concepts that address the challenges of today and tomorrow."

(To arrange broadcast or print interviews with Baylor Plano officials and Robert Fangmeyer please contact Sean Martin,  [email protected]  561-703-5394 or Michael K. Frisby, [email protected]  202-828-1242).

SOURCE Baldrige Foundation