Harrisburg, PA, Aug. 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pennsylvania is home to a diverse hospital community, whose leadership and staff are focused on weaving the needs of their patients into every facet of their missions, plans, and projects. They are focused on constant improvement of the quality and value of care they provide, the patient and family experience, and the innovation necessary to keep up with the rapid pace of emerging technology.

The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) annually recognizes these efforts through its esteemed Achievement Awards program, which began during 1978. The winning initiatives celebrate hospitals leveraging partnerships and inventive ideas to improve patient care and outcomes and invest in the specific health needs of communities.

Twelve winning programs were selected from 131 entries this year. Winners were chosen for “Community Champions,” “Optimal Operations,” “In Safe Hands,” and “Excellence in Care” categories across three divisions for small, medium, and large organizations. The “Living the Vision Award” recognizes one project that demonstrated accomplishments in all dimensions of the Triple Aim of improving community health and patient experience, while reducing health care costs.

“COVID-19 has fundamentally upended our lives; however, during this extraordinary time of change, one thing has remained: the Pennsylvania hospital community’s commitment to caring for every patient who needs it,” said Andy Carter, HAP president and chief executive officer, in the video announcement.

“And while our celebration may look different this year, I am pleased to honor the winners of HAP’s 2020 Achievement Awards. The award winners we feature here follow in the great tradition of health care providers committed to continuously improving the care they provide and playing an indispensable role in their communities.”

The 2020 HAP Achievement Award winners are:

Living the Vision Award

• Jefferson Health and Main Line Health, Philadelphia and Bryn Mawr—Innovative and Collaborative Post-Acute Care Strategy of Two Large Hospital Health Systems Through Their Joint Venture Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) Accountable Care Organization (ACO)

Community Champions Award

• UPMC Cole, Coudersport—Building and Strengthening Better Oral Care for the Communities We Serve
• Phoenixville Hospital, Phoenixville—Healthy Baby Program: Improving Access and Care for Underserved Pregnant Women
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia—Community Asthma Prevention Program Plus Home Repairs

Optimal Operations Award

• Washington Health System, Washington—Caring for Our Caregivers
• WellSpan Health, York—Workplace Violence Prevention Within a Multi-Hospital Organization: Interdisciplinary, Collaborative Approach to Achieving “Systemness”

In Safe Hands Award

• St. Luke's Monroe Campus, Stroudsburg—"I've fallen and I can't get up..." Preventing Inpatient Falls
• Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital, Sayre—Using Interprofessional Huddles to Transform CDI Rates
• Lankenau Medical Center, Wynnewood—Decreasing Dermal Damage From Endotracheal Tubes in the Intensive Care Unit: A Team Based Approach

Excellence in Care Award

• Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia—Nasogastric Tube Feeding for Radiation-Induced Dysphagia in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer
• Bryn Mawr Hospital, Bryn Mawr—Standardization of High Flow Nasal Cannula (HFNC) Oxygen Therapy Management for Pediatric Bronchiolitis in the Emergency Department
• Abington - Jefferson Health, Abington—Enhanced Recovery for Cesarean Delivery (ERAC): A QI Project to Reduce Opioid Use

Submissions were evaluated by a 16-judge panel. The panelists, drawn from Pennsylvania and across the nation, represented the public and private sectors, business organizations, consumer groups, and renowned health care quality institutes.

Winners will be recognized at HAP’s 2020 Patient Safety and Quality Symposium, which will be virtually held September 9-10.

ABOUT HAP:  HAP is a statewide membership services association that represents nearly 240 organizations, as well as the patients and communities they serve. Additional information about HAP is available online at www.haponline.org. 

Rachel Moore
The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania
(717) 561-5342
rmoore@haponline.org