Newswise — Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is among three hospitals nationally to be recognized today for their leadership and innovation in quality, safety and commitment to patient care.

The 2009 American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize® was awarded to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, Mich., which will receive $75,000. BIDMC was honored as the finalist and will receive $12,500. Duke University Hospital in Durham, NC, received the Citation of Merit.

BIDMC was cited for its goal of eliminating all preventable harm by 2012 and for emphasizing leadership and transparency to help the hospital move toward that important goal. The award notes BIDMC's strong values of reliability, safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness and equity are reinforced throughout the organization.

The award winners were selected by a multi-disciplinary committee of health care quality and patient safety experts based on its culture of quality and efforts to achieve the Institute of Medicine's six quality aims for health care.

"As the nation focuses on health care reform, hospitals know one of the best ways to help control costs is to improve the efficiency, safety and effectiveness of care provided to patients and the community," Rich Umbdenstock, AHA president and CEO. "Each hospital recognized today has taken a slightly different path in its efforts to improve quality and patient care, but they are all moving toward the same goal. Their innovation and commitment to quality improvement highlight that every day, hospitals are leading the way to better health and health care."

"In keeping with our commitment to improving quality, safety and efficiency throughout the healthcare system, McKesson Corporation and the McKesson Foundation are proud to support the American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize," said John H. Hammergren, chairman and CEO of McKesson Corporation. "On behalf of all of our employees, I am pleased to recognize these three institutions for standing above their peers in delivering on the IOM's six quality aims."

In particular, reviewers found that BIDMC has focused on individual accountability as a way to improve care. Through BIDMC's SPIRIT (Solutions Promoting Improvement, Respect, Integrity & Teamwork) program, all staff are encouraged to identify areas for quality and improvement, with the medical center providing both training and follow-up to help ensure sustained care improvement.

The reviewers noted that developing strong community relationships and being accountable to their community are an integral part of BIDMC's approach to improving care. The hospital's leadership team is committed to being completely transparent with their community and publicly shares information on patient safety and quality improvement issues.

The award is BIDMC's third major quality recognition in the past five months. In March, BIDMC was named one of the Top 100 Hospitals in the United States based in overall organizational performance by Thomson Reuters, which evaluates performance in nine areas: mortality, medical complications, patient safety, average length of stay, expenses, profitability, cash-to-debt ratio, patient satisfaction, and adherence to clinical standards of care.

In June, Premier healthcare alliance recognized BIDMC with the Premier Award for Quality (AFQ). One of only 23 hospitals in the nation to be so honored, the award is based on performance-based criteria, including clinical quality outcomes, resource utilization, and clinical process indicators, the AFQ measures top performers at the overall hospital level.

BIDMC was also among one of 174 hospitals nationally to be recognized by the US News & World Report "Best Hospitals" issue, placing among the leaders in eight clinical specialties, including in the care and treatment of heart and heart surgery; cancer care; digestive disorders; kidney diseases; geriatrics; gynecology, ears, nose and throat care and diabetes (in conjunction with the Joslin Clinic).

The American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize is presented annually to honor leadership and innovation in quality, safety and commitment to patient care. The prize is supported by grants from the McKesson Foundation and McKesson Corporation.

The criteria for the 2009 award include the demonstration of an organizational commitment to achieving the Institute of Medicine's six quality aims " safety, patient-centeredness, effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness and equity. One goal of the award is to honor organizations that are making progress in quality improvement on all six aims and that offer models that can be replicated by others in the hospital field. Relevant learnings and key elements for achieving progress that have stood out among the current and past honorees include recognizing that organizational leadership is critical, that what is measured is what gets attention and that patient and family involvement is integral to quality improvement.

Prize winner Bronson Methodist Hospital, a Baldrige Award winner and past AHA-McKesson Quest for Quality Citation honoree, focuses intensely on quality improvement and instilling a sense of this commitment throughout the entire hospital. Bronson has engaged all staff members from hospital leadership to front-line caregivers in efforts to improve patient-centered care, timeliness, efficiency and effectiveness.

Citation of Merit honoree Duke University Hospital was recognized for engaging front-line caregivers and sharing information about patient safety as the cornerstones of their commitment to care improvement. Senior leadership also is strongly involved in quality and safety efforts, emphasizing strong physician and nurse team leadership.

About the AHA

The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the improvement of health in their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include almost 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks and other providers of care. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information visit the Web site at www.aha.org.

About McKesson Corporation

McKesson Corporation (NYSE: MCK), currently ranked 18th on the FORTUNE 500, is a healthcare services and information technology company dedicated to helping its customers deliver high-quality healthcare by reducing costs, streamlining processes and improving the quality and safety of patient care. McKesson is the oldest company in healthcare today and will mark 175 years of continuous operation in 2008. McKesson provides pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management across the spectrum of care; healthcare information technology for hospitals, physicians, homecare and payors; hospital and retail pharmacy automation; and services for manufacturers and payors designed to improve outcomes for patients. For more information, visit us at www.mckesson.com.

About McKesson Foundation

The McKesson Foundation supports community-based programs and services aimed at improving the health status of at-risk children and adults. The Foundation is funded by McKesson Corporation, a healthcare services and information technology company dedicated to helping its customers deliver high-quality healthcare by reducing costs, streamlining processes and improving the quality and safety of patient care.

About Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and consistently ranks among the top four in National Institutes of Health funding among independent hospitals nationwide. BIDMC is clinically affiliated with the Joslin Diabetes Center and is a research partner of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox. For more information, visit www.bidmc.org .

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