San Antonio, Texas – Methodist Hospital and its affiliated campuses received one of only two Gold Awards presented by the Texas Medical Foundation (TMF) Health Quality Institute for distinguished efforts in health care quality improvements. All Methodist Healthcare hospitals received recognition in the form of Gold, Silver or Bronze Awards from TMF, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for Texas.
- Methodist Hospital and its campuses at Methodist Children’s Hospital, Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital, Metropolitan Methodist Hospital and Northeast Methodist Hospital, received one of only two Gold Awards in the state. These hospitals share a single CMS provider number and were therefore evaluated as a single entity.
- Methodist Stone Oak Hospital and Methodist Ambulatory Surgery Hospital received Silver Awards.
- Methodist Texsan Hospital, now a campus of Methodist Hospital, applied for the award in 2010 just prior to joining the Methodist Healthcare System in 2011 and has been recognized with a Bronze Award.
Texas Health Care Quality Improvement Awards honor Texas hospitals that are performing quality initiatives aimed at improving outcomes in patient care by recognizing those hospitals that have improved their performance on specific national quality measures. TMF established the awards program in partnership with The Texas Hospital Association, Texas Medical Association, Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals and Texas Osteopathic Medical Association.
The awards acknowledge hospitals for improving care related to acute myocardial infarction or AMI (heart attack), heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care. These clinical areas have been designated as national health care priorities by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and The Joint Commission, an independent nonprofit, standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.
The awards recognize hospitals that are active in quality improvement and have made the required improvement on a composite scoring system, called the Appropriate Care Measure (ACM). For acute care hospitals, the ACM consists of 27 quality indicators: 7 AMI, 4 heart failure, 6 pneumonia and 10 surgical care measures. Critical access hospitals used an ACM score based on 10 quality indicators: 4 heart failure and 6 pneumonia measures.
CMS and The Joint Commission targeted these areas as priorities because they measure care for common, serious health conditions that 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.
“To achieve this recognition, we had to demonstrate significant improvement across several national quality measures. Our success illustrates our commitment to patient safety and to delivering quality health care,” said Jaime Wesolowski, President and CEO of Methodist Healthcare. “It was a significant amount of work that could only be accomplished through employees and physicians who are committed to a culture of patient safety and clinical excellence.”
Out of 214 participating Texas hospitals, two were presented with the Texas Health Care Quality Improvement Gold Award – Methodist Healthcare received one of these. The Silver Award went to 129 hospitals, and 36 hospitals earned the Bronze Award. Hospitals receiving these awards will be recognized at a ceremony in Austin on May 3.
“As a nonprofit consulting company focused on promoting quality health and health care, TMF is proud to recognize these hospitals for promoting quality improvement activities and their senior management for promoting a quality culture,” said Tom Manley, CEO of TMF Health Quality Institute. “Quality improvement is a complex and demanding process, and we thank Methodist Healthcare for their commitment to improving the health of Texans and the efficiency of health care in our state.”
“We know that using proven standards of care can save lives,” said Kenneth Davis, M.D., Chief Medical Officer. “We will continue to enhance our quality improvement efforts through collaboration with our clinicians and with the TMF Health Quality Institute to ensure that every person gets the right care at the right time, every time.”
Criteria for Gold Award
To earn the Gold Award, a hospital had to achieve or maintain performance between 90 and 100 percent on the Appropriate Care Measure and to have met all other awards requirements. These included collecting data on quality indicators for four rolling quarters beginning October 1, 2010, having mortality scores within the projected range and submitting the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey (HCAHPS) data. Besides Methodist Hospital and its campuses, Memorial Hermann Hospital System in Houston was the only other Gold Award winner in Texas.
Criteria for Silver Award
To earn the Silver Award, a hospital had to achieve or maintain performance between 90 and 100 percent on the Appropriate Care Measure and to have met all other awards requirements. These included collecting data on quality indicators for four rolling quarters beginning October 1, 2010, having mortality scores within the projected range and submitting the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey (HCAHPS) data.
Criteria for Bronze Award
To earn the Bronze Award, a hospital had to achieve or maintain performance between 80 and 90 percent on the Appropriate Care Measure and to have met all other awards requirements. These included collecting data on quality indicators for four rolling quarters beginning October 1, 2010, having mortality scores within the projected range and submitting the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey (HCAHPS) data.
About Methodist Healthcare
Since 1963, Methodist Healthcare has provided outstanding medical services and constantly strives to keep pace with the technological advances being made in health care. What truly makes Methodist Healthcare special is its people: a team of compassionate, dedicated health care professionals working to fulfill the mission of Serving Humanity to Honor God and providing exceptional and cost-effective health care accessible to all. The system comprises 27 facilities, nine of them hospitals including Methodist Hospital and its campuses at Methodist Children’s Hospital, Methodist Heart Hospital, Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital, Methodist Texsan Hospital, Metropolitan Methodist Hospital, Northeast Methodist Hospital; along with Methodist Stone Oak Hospital and Methodist Ambulatory Surgery Hospital. Visit SAHealth.com to learn more.
About TMF
TMF Health Quality Institute focuses on improving lives by improving the quality of health care through contracts with federal, state and local governments, as well as private organizations. For more than 40 years, TMF has helped health care providers and practitioners in a variety of settings improve care for their patients. For more information on the awards program, see the TMF Health Quality Institute awards website at http://award.tmf.org.