The Illinois Hospital Association Institute for Innovations in Care and Quality has presented three hospitals and two health systems with Quality Excellence Achievement Awards during the IHA's Leadership Summit.
"The award-winning projects offer a snapshot of what Illinois hospitals are doing when they think bold to take up best practices, deploy evidence-based practices and test unique approaches to drive healthcare innovation," said Jay Bhatt, DO, chief health officer of IHA.
Winners were selected from nearly 100 applications by a panel of quality improvement experts. The winners, by category, are as follows:
Healthcare System category
- Chicago-based Sinai Health System won the award for a program that reduced asthma-related emergency department visits by 66 percent and hospitalizations by 57 percent in one year.
Rural/Critical Access Hospital category
- Highland-based HSHS St. Joseph's Hospital, Highland, won for its program, "Patient-Centered Approach to Reducing Readmissions." The hospital has reduced readmission rates by 20 percent in two years.
Urban Hospital category
- Elgin-based Presence Saint Joseph Hospital received the award for reducing its venous thromboembolism rates by 87 percent through new care guidelines and an early mobility program.
- HSHS St. Elizabeth's Hospital, Belleville, won for decreasing blood usage by 30 percent by building new guidelines into the hospital's EHR.
Tim Philipp Award for Excellence in Palliative Care
- AMITA Health in Arlington Heights increased consultations for palliative care by more than 20 percent in one year.