Maryland Hospital Association Recognized for Leadership in Quality Improvement

Will Receive Dick Davidson Quality Milestone Award for Allied Association Leadership; 
Ohio and Kansas Hospital Associations also Honored

WASHINGTON (June 14, 2016) – The Maryland Hospital Association (MHA) is the 2016 recipient of the Dick Davidson Quality Milestone Award for Allied Association Leadership for its work to improve health care quality, the American Hospital Association (AHA) announced today. The Ohio Hospital Association (OHA) and Kansas Hospital Association (KHA) were selected as honorable mentions for the 2016 award. The award, given to state, regional or metropolitan hospital associations that demonstrate leadership and innovation in quality improvement and contribute to national health care improvement efforts, will be presented July 17 at the 2016 Health Forum-AHA Leadership Summit in San Diego.

“Every day, hospitals strive to provide safe, quality patient care,” said Rick Pollack, AHA president and CEO. “These three states – Maryland, Ohio and Kansas – lead by example, offering resources that inspire the hospitals in their state and across the country to do all they can to get to zero errors.”

In winning the award, MHA demonstrated how far and how fast Maryland hospitals have come in making progress toward the Triple Aim of health care – improving patient care and population health while reducing costs. The association eliminated silos that previously existed among health care providers and retooled aggressive goals to improve care.

Maryland is unique in that it has an all-payer system – one in which government and private insurers, self-payers and the uninsured – pay the same amount for the same service in the same hospital. Through this system, Maryland hospitals, in conjunction with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, implemented a demonstration program that reimburses hospitals for the quality of the care given, not the quantity. This increased focus on quality yielded impressive results including a 10.52 percent reduction in readmissions rates from 2014 to 2015; a 37.2 percent quarterly decrease in potentially preventable complications from 2014 to 2015; a 77 percent decrease in ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) from 2013 to 2014; and a 90 percent decrease in catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) from 2014 to 2015.

Honorable mention honoree OHA also has made important contributions to the improvement of patient care across Ohio by leading regional collaborations among hospitals, health systems and other partners. From 2012 to 2014, OHA Hospital Engagement Network (HEN) members reduced overall incidents by 55 percent, improved patient and family engagement by 39 percent and improved organizational leadership safety engagement by 29 percent. Specifically, participating hospitals achieved a 97 percent reduction in VAP, 59 percent reduction in central-line associated blood stream infections (CLABSI), 36 percent reduction in surgical site infections and 20 percent reduction in CAUTI.

KHA, another honorable mention honoree, began its quality journey in 2008 when KHA joined with the Kansas Medical Society to lead Kansas hospitals and other caregivers in pursuing quality patient care by creating the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative. Through 2014, KHA, with the AHA/Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET) HEN and other quality improvement programs, has improved patient care by reducing CLABSI by 48 percent, CAUTI by 30 percent, early-elective deliveries by 72 percent and surgical site infections by 33 percent. In Kansas, the collaborative teamwork, accountability and leadership of the Kanas HEN resulted in prevention of an estimated 3,800 safety events (including readmissions) at an estimated cost savings of more than $23.2 million.

“The Dick Davidson Quality Milestone Award Committee honors the critical work state associations do to improve quality and patent safety. As chair of the committee, it’s my pleasure to honor Maryland, Ohio and Kansas for their leadership, innovative approaches and commitment to delivering quality care,” said James C. Leonard, M.D., president and CEO, The Carle Foundation, and chair of the AHA Davidson Award Committee.

The award is named for AHA President Emeritus Dick Davidson, who strongly promoted the role of hospital associations in leading quality improvement during his tenure as AHA president and as president of the Maryland Hospital Association. Applications are reviewed by a multi-disciplinary award committee that includes hospital association executives, hospital and health system clinical and operational leaders and a representative from a national, non-AHA organization involved in quality and performance improvement. Information on the award and how to apply is available on AHA's website.

About the AHA

The 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 is the national advocate for its members, which include nearly 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks, other providers of care and 43,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides 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.