Harrisburg, PA, April 24, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pennsylvania is home to a diverse hospital community, whose leadership and staff are focused on weaving the needs of their patients into every facet of their missions, plans, and projects. They are focused on constant improvement of the quality and value of care they provide, the patient and family experience, and the innovation necessary to keep up with the rapid pace of emerging technology.
The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) annually recognizes these efforts through its esteemed Achievement Awards program, which began during 1978. The winning initiatives represent an acute focus on leveraging partnerships and inventive ideas to improve patient care and outcomes and invest in the specific health needs of communities.
Winners were chosen for Community Champions, Optimal Operations, In Safe Hands, and Excellence in Care across three divisions for small, medium, and large organizations. The “Living the Vision Award” recognized one hospital that demonstrated accomplishments in all dimensions of the Triple Aim of improving population health and the patient experience, while reducing health care costs.
“In the face of near-constant change in health care, one thing remains the same: Pennsylvania’s hospitals are leaders in providing high-quality, innovative care, and improving the health and wellbeing of the patients they serve,” said Andy Carter, HAP president and chief executive officer.
“This year’s HAP Achievement Award recipients exemplify what it means to work within and beyond the four walls of their hospitals to help their communities address their most pressing needs, and work to create a healthier future. We congratulate all of this year’s winners and thank each hospital team that submitted entries.”
Fourteen winning programs were selected from 127 entries this year.
The 2019 HAP Achievement Award winners are:
Community Champions Award
- Grove City Medical Center, Grove City—Diabetes Prevention Program
- Mercy Fitzgerald and Mercy Philadelphia Hospital, Darby & Philadelphia—Opiate Reduction Efforts Across the Continuum, A Community Hospital's Approach
- Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, Lancaster—Aligning Efforts to Fight the Opioid Crisis
Optimal Operations Award
- Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia—Optimizing Care Transitions: Reimagining Case Management
- Evangelical Community Hospital, Lewisburg—Community Hospital Drives Awareness of Human Trafficking...A Roadmap to Success
- Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey—Preventing Workplace Violence: The Conception and Implementation of a Behavioral De-Escalation Response Team
- Main Line Health, Bryn Mawr—Implementing a Multifaceted Blood Product Management Program
In Safe Hands Award
- Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Philadelphia—Prevention of Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections in Long-Term Acute Care
- Mercy Philadelphia Hospital, Philadelphia—Pharmacist-Driven Vancomycin Monitoring Initiative
- St. Luke's University Health Network, Bethlehem—Developing an Industry-Leading Vaccine Management Program
Excellence in Care Award
- Mercy Home Health, Springfield—Managing CHF from the Home: IV Diuretic Program Improves Disease Management and Reduces Hospital Readmissions
- Doylestown Health, Doylestown—Cardiothoracic Transitional Care Nurse
- UPMC Pinnacle, Harrisburg—Heart Failure Hospitalist Team: An Example of Interdisciplinary Excellence
Living the Vision Award
- WellSpan Health, York—Linking Community Partnerships, Innovations, and Hospital Operations to Solve Community Challenges and Achieve Better Outcomes for Fellow Community Members
Entries were evaluated by a 16-judge panel. The panelists, drawn from Pennsylvania and across the nation, represented the public and private sectors, business organizations, consumer groups and renowned health care quality institutes.
Winners will be recognized at an award ceremony on May 23 during HAP’s annual Leadership Summit.
ABOUT HAP: HAP is a statewide membership services association that represents nearly 240 organizations, as well as the patients and communities they serve. Additional information about HAP is available online at www.haponline.org.
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2019