Methodist Hospital recognized for leadership and innovation in quality and performance

American Hospital Association names Methodist one of four hospitals nationwide as Quest for Quality Citation of Merit recipient

The American Hospital Association (AHA) this week announced Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital has been named a 2018 Citation of Merit award recipient as part of the annual Quest for Quality. Methodist Hospital is part of HealthPartners, a large integrated health system providing care and financing.

The Quest for Quality Prize recognizes health care leadership and innovation in improving quality and advancing health in communities. All recipients demonstrate a commitment to improving access; providing high quality, safe care; creating value; partnering with patients and families; focusing on well-being; and providing seamless, coordinated care This year’s recipients will be recognized on July 26 at the AHA Leadership Summit in San Diego.

“To be awarded the Citation of Merit is an incredible honor, and demonstrates Methodist Hospital is among the very best in the nation,” said Roxanna Gapstur, President, Methodist Hospital. “The entire HealthPartners organization is committed to improving affordability, creating a quality experience, improving health equity and ensuring patients receive appropriate assistance to avoid unnecessary admissions or readmissions.”

The AHA began the process of reviewing hospitals from across the country for this award last fall, and visited Methodist in the spring to interview leaders, care team members, and community partners to better understand the hospital’s commitment to quality improvement, patient and staff safety and partnership with community members. Methodist demonstrated its journey to become a high reliability organization by highlighting daily safety calls, robust process improvement and continued focus on a culture of safety. Additionally, improving and expanding community access is a focus of Methodist Hospital through use of local fire departments that provide post-discharge visits, mobile mammography units to reach underserved communities, operation of community and school-based clinics and partnering with local schools to increase access to mental health using tele-mental health to treat at-risk children and teens.

“Methodist Hospital has been a remarkable leader in elevating the quality of care it provides to patients and the community, while demonstrating an organization-wide commitment to excellence,” said Rick Pollack, AHA’s president and CEO. “The lessons provided by Methodist Hospital and all of this year’s winner and honorees serve as an inspiration to the entire field.”

Gapstur, along with Michael Seim, MD, Methodist Hospital Chief Medical Officer, and Kasey Paulus, Senior Director of Quality and Safety, will be participating in a panel discussion with hospital executives from around the country during the annual AHA Leadership Summit. As featured panelists, they will share best practices for creating a culture of safety, engaging patients and families in quality care, and key takeaways from the hospital’s quality journey.

To learn more about how AHA determines Quest for Quality award recipients, please visit www.aha.org/about/awards/quest-for-quality.