Huguley Memorial Medical Center has received the Texas Health Care Quality Improvement Award of Excellence from TMF Health Quality Institute, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for Texas. The award recognizes Huguley’s efforts to improve patient outcomes on select national quality measures. Out of more than 390 eligible Texas hospitals, only 63 met the criteria and have received this award.
The Texas Health Care Quality Improvement Award honors Texas hospitals that are performing quality initiatives on ten specific national quality measures related to heart attacks, heart failure and pneumonia. These priority areas were targeted because these common, serious health conditions can affect all adult patients. The quality measures—such as an initial antibiotic dose within four hours of admission for patients with pneumonia—are designed to ensure hospitals provide care consistent with current medical guidelines.
These clinical areas have been designated as national health care priorities by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Joint Commission, the nation’s predominant independent, non-profit, standards-setting and accrediting organization in health care. The award recognizes hospitals that are active in quality improvement and have made the required improvement on a composite scoring system, called the appropriate care measure.
“Working with the medical staff, Huguley used nationally recognized standards to assure that consistent medical care for all patients is delivered routinely. We’re focused on following these national standards because they improve outcomes for our patients,” said Tammy Collier, senior vice president of patient care services at Huguley Memorial Medical Center. “We’re proud to have qualified to receive this distinguished award, and we will continue to enhance our quality improvement efforts through our collaboration with TMF Health Quality Institute. We are dedicated to ensuring all patients receive the right care at the right time, every time.”
Out of almost 400 eligible Texas hospitals, 63 received the highest award possible, the Award of Excellence, and 25 were presented with the Quality Improvement Achievement Award. Hospitals receiving these awards will be recognized at a special ceremony in Austin on June 28.
“With this significant achievement, it is clear these hospitals are focused on providing the highest quality care to their patients. They recognize quality improvement is not about data, but about people,” said Tom Manley, CEO of TMF Health Quality Institute.
To earn the Award of Excellence, a hospital had to collect and submit data over five quarters. During that period, the hospital must achieve or maintain performance between 90 and 100 percent on every appropriate care measure.
For more information on the award program, see the TMF Health Quality Institute Awards website at http://award.tmfhqi.net.