AHA Honors Four Hospitals & Health Systems For Their Dedication and Commitment to Quality

American Hospital Association Quest for Quality Prize recognizes hospital leadership and innovation in quality performance improvement

WASHINGTON (July 17, 2024) - The American Hospital Association (AHA) today announced that WellSpan Health in York, Pa., is the 2024 recipient of the AHA Quest for Quality Prize. In addition, three finalists have been named: Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, Va.; Jefferson Health in Philadelphia; and MUSC Health in Charleston, S.C. All winners will receive this prestigious recognition during the AHA's Leadership Summit in San Diego, July 21-23 when a video highlighting these accomplishments will be shared with attendees.

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.

"This year's Quest for Quality winners are notable for their innovation and willingness to pivot quickly to address their communities' evolving needs," said Rick Pollack, AHA president and CEO. "They are true champions of quality who are dedicated to improving the patient experience from amplifying and engaging on health equity, doubling down on safety and community health, and reaching all corners of a state to provide care through telehealth."

Prize Winner: WellSpan Health - York, Pa.
WellSpan Health is an integrated health system composed of seven general medical hospitals and two specialty hospitals serving rural and suburban communities in Pennsylvania and Maryland, with plans to build three additional neighborhood hospitals to expand access to care in rural areas. It is relentlessly committed to elevating equity through initiatives such as a health equity strategic plan focusing on eliminating disparities in life expectancy and improving health outcomes in the community. As part of this plan, WellSpan hosted listening sessions with Hispanic community partners to gather feedback on barriers to screening resulting in the creation of a culturally and linguistically tailored outreach program. Results include a more than 10% increase in screening rates among patients who identified as Hispanic, speak Spanish and require an interpreter. In addition, WellSpan publicly shares initiatives such as "Spotlight on Children's Health" and drives partnerships, advocacy and funding to community organizations that also support these goals.

WellSpan's "Quality Improvement Reporting Score" tracks progress to goals and escalates areas of focus throughout all levels of the organization. For nearly 30 years, WellSpan has hosted its annual "Quality Forum," a day-long celebration of team achievements. The event includes patients and families to share learnings and highlight team-focused improvement projects.

Finalist: Carilion Clinic - Roanoke, Va.
As the region's only Level 1 trauma and academic medical center, Carilion Clinic is the major health care provider in Southwest Virginia serving a population of nearly one million with its seven hospitals and more than 250 ambulatory sites. Quality initiatives are engrained into daily operations, with collaboration and a system approach driving improvements. Quality and community measures are included in Carilion's scorecard to assess how well the system serves patients and encourages system-wide goals.

Carilion deployed a hospital-based escalated huddle model that features midday huddles to discuss access to care and quality improvement. It provides a daily opportunity to escalate potential safety needs and review all patient lines and foley catheters. Conversations occur at the unit level; escalations or barriers are discussed at the hospital level. This combined focus on operations, safety and quality has dramatically reduced health care associated infections over the past three years while ensuring continued excellence in bed management and system alignment. Carilion has seen similar quality success with the implementation of a system-wide mortality program in 2022 and improvements to sepsis response and aspiration prevention, resulting in a 50% improvement in all cause mortality.

Finalist: Jefferson Health - Philadelphia
Jefferson Health, an academic health system comprising 17 hospitals in greater Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, successfully designed and deployed the comprehensive quality and safety management system OnPoint to create clinical integration across all of its sites which experience nearly 5 million patient encounters annually.

OnPoint embeds quality and safety at the unit level to achieve sustainable preventative harm reduction. Innovative approaches to clinical improvement contributed to an average annual decrease of 25% in sepsis mortality, saving nearly 700 lives and $30 million in costs for the system. Operationalizing real-time clinical indicators and increases in the ability to rescue led to a 15% decrease in central-line bloodstream infections (CLABSI) or 65 infections avoided during the pandemic. Community health outcomes is also a focus of Jefferson's program, with nearly half a million patients screened for health-related social needs and connected to resources since March 2023.

Finalist: MUSC Health - Charleston, S.C.
MUSC Health provides care at 16 hospitals, with five more in development. As the only comprehensive academic medical center in South Carolina, MUSC is dedicated to delivering the highest quality care throughout the state, with telehealth a key component in enhancing health care. The system's school-based telehealth program serves more than 150 schools and supports the South Carolina Telehealth Alliance, a statewide coalition that serves more than 180 schools. The program provides both physical and mental pediatric care, including on-demand medical visits for common illnesses, chronic care management for youth with asthma and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and trauma therapy.

MUSC Health, one of only two health systems nationally recognized as a National Telehealth Center of Excellence by the Health Resources and Services Administration, has adopted a virtual-first strategy to provide appointments for some specialties - endocrinology, hematology, neurology, pulmonology, rheumatology, sleep medicine, and primary care - within days instead of weeks or months.

More information on the AHA's Quest for Quality prize, including how to apply, is available here.

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About the American Hospital Association (AHA)
The American Hospital Association (AHA) is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA advocates on behalf of our nearly 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations, our clinician partners - including more than 270,000 affiliated physicians, 2 million nurses and other caregivers - and the 43,000 health care leaders who belong to our professional membership groups. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides insight and education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org.