Quest for Quality

A vigorous approach to quality improvement at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, Ill., is achieving excellent, sustainable patient outcomes and spreading innovation. The teaching hospital is the 2016 winner of the AHA-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize. Memorial Medical Center uses Lean Six Sigma to improve quality and patient safety. The health care organization has adopted a "30/30/30 Solution" that calls for certifying 30 percent additional staff in Lean Six Sigma each year; implementing 30 percent more improvement projects, each with a project duration of approximately three months; and demonstrating average project improvement of at least 30 percent. More than 1,500 staff members and more than 500 physicians now have received Lean Six Sigma certification, and more than 300 projects have been completed since 2010. One project reduced hospital-acquired pressure ulcers by 81 percent across 17 inpatient units at the hospital. In 2015, the hospital opened the 70,000-square-foot Memorial Center for Learning and Innovation. Clinicians, staff and EMTs use the center for training and for testing innovations before they become part of patient care. The center also houses the Midwest Healthcare Quality Alliance, a partnership with the medical center, SIU Healthcare and the Springfield Clinic, providing opportunities to collaborate with other health care organizations and spread quality innovation.

For more information, contact Todd Roberts, quality and safety administrator, at roberts.todd@mhsil.com.

See more information about the AHA-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize winners and finalists.