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Qualis Health Honors Washington Healthcare Providers

May 4, 2010

Seattle, WA - Qualis Health presented the "2009 Awards of Excellence in Healthcare Quality" today, recognizing five outstanding healthcare organizations in Washington. Selected from healthcare provider project submissions from across the state, the five awardees were honored during a luncheon ceremony at the Northwest Patient Safety Conference at the Hilton Seattle Airport and Conference Center. Since 2002, the Awards of Excellence in Healthcare Quality have recognized organizations in Washington that have made significant contributions to healthcare through innovative, measurable improvements in care.

Jonathan Sugarman, MD, MPH, President and CEO of Qualis Health, noted that "This year's Quality Awards recipients represent Washington's innovation and dedication as a national leader in healthcare quality improvement, and recognize the thousands of healthcare providers who are committed to enhanced patient outcomes." Hugh Straley, MD and Vice Chair of the Qualis Health Board of Directors presented the awards.

Healthcare providers from throughout Washington nominated projects for the annual Awards competition beginning last January. A panel of 10 independent healthcare professionals reviewed the submissions and scored them on a 100-point scale. The 2009 Award honorees include Harborview Medical Center, Providence ElderPlace, Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, Virginia Mason Medical Center and Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, which won two Awards of Excellence.

The Awards of Excellence in Healthcare Quality for projects completed in 2009 in Washington State were presented to the following organizations:

Harborview Medical Center - Seattle, WA

"Safe in Our Hands"

Harborview Medical Center implemented an all-staff hand hygiene campaign that increased hand hygiene among all healthcare personnel, raised patient perception of healthcare hand hygiene and lowered its hospital-acquired MRSA rate.

Providence ElderPlace - Seattle, WA

"Fall Prevention Program"

Providence ElderPlace executed a Fall Prevention Program in its PACE Program that has improved participant safety and independence by reducing the number of participant falls, as well as the number of fall-related injuries.

Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center - Spokane, WA

"Hospital Acquired Pressure Ulcers"

Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center's Wound and Ostomy department used focused education and treatment protocols to decrease its hospital acquired pressure ulcers rate from 10.49% to 1.3%.

Virginia Mason Medical Center - Seattle, WA

"Heart Failure Care Transitions"

Multi-disciplinary teams with Virginia Mason Medical Center increased the rate at which bundled congestive heart failure (CHF) therapies were applied to CHF patients from 74.9% to 97.5%, resulting in improved care for hospitalized patients with CHF.

Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital - Yakima, WA

"Emergency Department Throughput"

Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital's Emergency Department implemented Lean and Six Sigma strategies in order to reduce their "Length of Stay" and "Left without Being Seen" rates. These efforts have created capacity for 49 additional patients daily--17,885 annually.

Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital - Yakima, WA

"Glycemic Control per Pharmacy"

Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital utilized its Glycemic Control Per Pharmacy Program to reduce the rate of hypoglycemia to 0.008 events per patient day and increase the number of patients whose blood glucose level falls within the range recommended by the American College of Endocrinology and the American Diabetes Association.

Qualis Health congratulates all of the 2009 honorees.

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About Qualis Health

Qualis Health is dedicated to improving the quality of healthcare delivery and health outcomes for individuals and populations across the nation. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the nonprofit organization serves as the CMS-designated Quality Improvement Organization for the states of Washington and Idaho, and provides a full spectrum of care management, health information and quality improvement consulting services for federal, state and private sector clients. Qualis Health's commitment to ensure the right care at the right time and in the right setting has led to improved healthcare quality and value for millions of Americans.