PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA — St. Joseph’s Health has been awarded the 2024 Safety Excellence Award by ECRI, in recognition of their successful implementation of numerous safety initiatives across facilities in northern New Jersey. This accolade celebrates the institution’s commitment to enhancing patient safety through innovative and evidence-based approaches.
The award acknowledges St. Joseph’s Health for their comprehensive execution of the ECRI Total Systems Safety Assessment, a framework designed to provide a holistic view of an organization’s safety status. By involving executive leaders and frontline staff, they were able to identify areas for improvement, develop targeted action plans, and measure progress effectively. Their efforts align with the latest CMS guidelines for patient safety.
Dr. Dheerendra Kommala, ECRI’s Chief Medical Officer, praised the team at St. Joseph’s Health, stating, “We are proud of the team at St. Joseph’s Health for embracing many of the principles that are foundational for a holistic approach to patient safety, like the Total Systems Safety framework and just culture for the workforce.”
Pam Upadya, MD, Patient Safety Officer at St. Joseph’s Health, reflected on the achievement: “Our entire team has taken a hands-on approach to patient safety. Our partnership with ECRI and their encouragement for us to undergo the safety assessment has aligned our institution completely with the most recent CMS guidelines for patient safety. We’re thrilled for the recognition of our vast efforts around safety excellence, which represents the heart of what we do.”
St. Joseph’s Health established core working groups to tackle the four key principles identified in the assessment: Culture Leadership and Governance, Workplace Safety, Learning System, and Patient and Family Engagement. These groups spearheaded initiatives such as instituting a new Just Culture policy, enhancing safety education, expanding the Patient and Family Advocacy Council, and initiating quarterly patient safety symposiums.
The institution also integrated “safety stories” into leadership and board meetings to highlight positive safety actions and encourage transparency and communication. This cultural shift has led to tangible improvements in safety and communication across the organization.
In addition to the Safety Excellence Award, St. Joseph’s Health received the 2024 Healthcare Supply Chain Excellence Award for their superior spend management and process improvements.
Other institutions recognized include Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, which received an honorable mention for improving their Root Cause Analysis process, leading to faster incident investigations and a reduction in safety events. Hackensack Meridian Health also earned an honorable mention for enhancing safety event reporting across its facilities.
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