Northwest Hospital Receives 2015 Press Ganey "Guardian of Excellence" Award for Outstanding Performance in Clinical Quality
Randallstown, MD - Press Ganey Associates Inc., a leading organization that measures hospital quality and patient satisfaction, has awarded a 2015 Guardian of Excellence Award® to Northwest Hospital. Northwest received this award for excellence in clinical quality, which Press Ganey evaluated by looking at nearly 40 patient care measurements in conditions ranging from heart attack and pneumonia to stroke and infection prevention.
"We are honored to receive this recognition for the quality of care that we provide our patients. This award reflects the commitment of everyone in our hospital to provide the best and highest quality care possible," says Brian White, president of Northwest Hospital and senior vice president of LifeBridge Health. "At Northwest Hospital, we truly believe in keeping the patient as the focus of all of our health care decisions. Everything we do is driven by our commitment to quality and safety."
Northwest Hospital has a number of initiatives underway to sustain and improve quality. One program is a unique pilot project with the Maryland Patient Safety Center, which trained more than a dozen "Patient Safety Champions" who are now actively working on projects, many of them self-initiated, to measure and improve patient safety.
Other programs include initiatives to prevent falls and pneumonia as well as efforts to coordinate with case managers to ensure that, before they leave the hospital, patients fully understand their illness and next steps in their treatment plan, including what they themselves need to do, so they are less likely to have to return to the hospital (reducing readmissions).
The Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award is a nationally recognized achievement in health care. Presented annually, the award recognizes top-performing health care organizations that have consistently achieved clinical quality scores in the top fifth percentile or above.
For each condition, Press Ganey looks at a series of standard patientcare quality measurements. With stroke patients, for example, evaluators review whether the hospital consistently provides clot-busting treatment as appropriate, assesses patient readiness for rehabilitation and offers stroke education, among other criteria.
"We are proud to partner with Northwest Hospital," says Patrick T. Ryan, chief executive officer of Press Ganey. "This award is a testament to the organization's leadership in delivering patient-centered care. By achieving and sustaining this level of excellence, the people of Northwest Hospital demonstrate their commitment to advancing the overall quality of health care."
About Northwest Hospital:
Located in Randallstown, Maryland, Northwest Hospital serves the health care needs of people in the northwest Baltimore metro area, western Baltimore City, and Carroll and Howard counties. Northwest Hospital is part of LifeBridge Health, one of the largest providers of health services in Maryland. In addition to Northwest Hospital, LifeBridge Health includes Sinai Hospital,