The Texas Health Care Quality Institute today has awarded Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital, Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital, Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital, and Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center its Quality Improvement Award, the highest honor given by the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for Texas. Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital earned the Quality Improvement Achievement Award.
The awards recognize hospitals that are active in quality improvement and that have made the required improvement on a composite scoring system, the appropriate care measure (ACM). The ACM consists of ten measures: five acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), two heart failure, and three pneumonia measures that have been designated as national health care priorities by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Joint Commission, the nation's predominant independent, non-profit, standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. To earn the Award of Excellence, a hospital had to achieve or maintain performance between 90 and 100 percent.
To achieve its performance goals, interdisciplinary teams of hospital employees and medical staff physicians employed nationally recognized standards to ensure that patients receive consistent, high quality medical care.
"We are focused on achieving these national standards because they improve outcomes for our patients," said Memorial Hermann Chief Quality Officer Michael Shabot, MD. "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."
Tom Manley, CEO of the Health Quality Institute noted: "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. These hospitals demonstrate they are dedicated to ensuring all patients receive the right care at the right time, every time."
TMF established the award program in partnership with Texas Hospital Association, Texas Medical Association, Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals and Texas Osteopathic Medical Association. Out of more than 390 eligible Texas hospitals, 63 have met the criteria and have been presented with the Texas Health Care Quality Improvement Award of Excellence and 25 were presented with the Quality Improvement Achievement Award. Hospitals receiving these awards were recognized at a special ceremony in Austin on June 28.