Illinois Hospital Association honors St. Joseph’s for ‘Quality Excellence’
HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland was one of only five five hospitals statewide recognized during the Illinois Hospital Association (IHA) Institute for Innovations in Care and Quality’s 2015 Quality Excellence Achievement Awards.
“IHA’s Quality Excellence Achievement Awards recognize how Illinois hospitals and health systems are committed to improving the quality of care they deliver to the patients and communities they serve,” said IHA president and CEO Maryjane A. Wurth. “By implementing best practices and sharing information, they are driving health care transformation and helping our members move forward to provide the right care, in the right place, at the right time, while reducing costs.”
St. Joseph’s was graded as the top honoree in the “Rural/Critical Access Hospital” category for “Patient-Centered Approach to Reducing Readmissions.”
“Receiving this award gives HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital great pride and affirms our mission: ‘To reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through our high quality Franciscan health care ministry,’ ” said Peggy Sebastian, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Hospital. “Along with the 5-star national award for patient satisfaction excellence that we received earlier this year, this award is validation that our patient-centered focus of delivering health care services resonates with those who come to us for their health care needs.”
By improving care coordination and expanding multi-disciplinary team approach to discharge planning, HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital successfully reduced its readmission rates by 20 percent in the past two years, according to IHA.
“The best and most complete patient care doesn’t begin and end at our hospital doors. Our colleagues go the extra mile and have a drive for excellence that can be seen every day,” said Bill Sullivan, chairman, board of directors, HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital. “This award recognizes the respect and care that they put in to each and every patient. I couldn’t be more proud of what we are doing at HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital.”
The fifth annual awards were presented on on Sept. 11 during IHA’s Leadership Summit in Lombard. A panel of nationally recognized quality improvement experts evaluated submissions based on achieving progress in implementing the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Triple Aim — for improvement — safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable.
“These award-winning projects offer a snapshot of what Illinois hospitals are doing when they think bold to take up best practices, deploy evidence-based practices and test unique approaches to drive health care innovation,” said Jay Bhatt, IHA’s chief health officer, IHA. “They are taking a deeper dive into their data to identify actionable opportunities to not only help improve the delivery of care and patient outcomes, but also to promote the health and wellness of their communities.”
The Illinois Hospital Association, with offices in Naperville, Springfield and Washington, D.C., advocates for Illinois’ more than 200 hospitals and nearly 50 health systems as they serve their patients and communities.
This story was originally published September 19, 2015 at 2:49 AM with the headline "Illinois Hospital Association honors St. Joseph’s for ‘Quality Excellence’."