Illinois Hospital Association Presents First Annual Quality Awards

NAPERVILLE, Ill., Sept. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Illinois Hospital Association (IHA) Quality Care Institute presented its first annual Quality Excellence Achievement Awards at the 2011 IHA Leadership Summit in Lombard on September 20. Seven Illinois hospitals and health systems were honored for their innovative interventions and best practices designed to advance quality patient care.

"The Illinois Hospital Association established these annual awards to acknowledge the outstanding quality improvement programs and initiatives our members have developed—all focusing on better patient care and outcomes," said IHA President Maryjane A. Wurth. "Illinois hospitals are unceasing in their efforts to become the nation's leader in quality care."  

The IHA Innovation in Quality Award honors hospitals that have demonstrated innovative approaches addressing elements of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's "Triple Aim" to improve the health of the population; enhance the patient experience of care; and

reduce or control the per capita cost of care.

The IHA Pledge Quality Achievement Award recognizes hospitals that have shown significant improvement efforts meeting the goals of IHA's Raising the Bar campaign to substantially reduce readmissions and hospital-acquired conditions and infections.

The inaugural awards were presented to hospitals in the categories of urban, rural, safety net, and specialty hospitals.  Recipients were selected by a panel of nationally-recognized quality improvement leaders based on entries received in each category. Following are the hospital recipients and their award-winning initiatives:

IHA Innovation in Quality Award Recipients:

Urban: Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana
"Inpatient Respiratory Failure: Prevention through Appropriate Identification and Management of Obstructive Sleep Apnea"

Rural: Good Samaritan Regional Health Center, Mount Vernon
"Achieving The Triple Aim: Leveraging and Learning from Top Performers to Accelerate Improvements"

Safety Net: Sinai Health System, Chicago
"Patient Navigation Program, An Avon Foundation Safety-Net Project"

Specialty Hospital: Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital and Clinics, Wheaton
"Rehabilitation Hospital Patient Journey to Discharge"

IHA Pledge Quality Achievement Award Recipients

Urban: Northshore University Health System, Evanston
"Evidence-based Holistic Approach to the Prevention of Pressure Ulcers"

Rural: Blessing Hospital, Quincy
"It's All About the Patient: Prevention of Hospital-Acquired Venous Thromboembolism"

Safety Net: Sinai Health System, Chicago
"Reducing Hospital-Acquired Infection: Approaching Zero Defects"

"These awards recognize and help promote collaboration and dialogue among Illinois hospitals to improve patient care and outcomes," said Cathy Grossi, Vice President, Quality Care Institute/Health Policy and Regulation. "Because health care is continually evolving, the Quality Care Institute provides members with numerous resources and educational tools and opportunities for the sharing of best practices on a variety of quality issues."

More than 50 quality improvement projects were submitted by hospitals from across the state to be considered for the inaugural Quality Excellence Achievement Awards.  All of the projects will be featured in a Quality Care Institute best practices compendium.

About IHA and the Quality Care Institute
The Illinois Hospital Association, with offices in Naperville, Springfield, and Washington, D.C., represents and is an advocate for 200 Illinois hospitals and health systems and the patients and communities they serve. For more information, visit www.ihatoday.org.

The IHA Quality Care Institute is a strategic center that builds on existing quality and safety initiatives, and designs innovative programs for strengthening the quality of health care. Through the Institute, Illinois hospitals are creating initiatives for measurably strengthening the quality of health care—with the ultimate vision of becoming the national leaders in quality patient care. For more information, visit www.ihaqualitycare.org.

SOURCE Illinois Hospital Association