Ochsner Health Honored for Commitment to Quality by the American Hospital Association

Quest for Quality Prize Recognizes Hospital Leadership and Innovation in Quality and Performance Improvement

NEW ORLEANS (July 18, 2022) – Today at its annual conference, the American Hospital Association (AHA) honored four hospitals and health systems for their leadership and improvement in quality and safety. Ochsner Medical Center – New Orleans (OMC) was named a finalist for the AHA Quest for Quality Prize that recognizes healthcare leadership and innovation in improving quality and advancing health in communities.

"Being recognized by the AHA for pursuing the highest quality health care reflects the hard work and commitment of our care teams and medical staff,” said Armin Schubert, MD, Vice President for Medical Affairs, Quality and Patient Safety at OMC. “At Ochsner Health, our patients are always our first priority as we continue to build on this success."

OMC was recognized for the great strides made in utilizing predictive analytics to improve care delivery and outcomes by applying machine learning to reduce hospital-acquired C. difficile (C. diff.) infections. Looking at a model using more than 250,000 hospital admissions over three years, the data proved extremely beneficial for understanding which patients were at highest risk. At OMC and other Ochsner Health (Ochsner) facilities, pharmacists and physicians work together to review patients, who are identified through machine learning, and intervene when possible. In just a two-year period, monthly hospital-acquired C. diff infections fell by 49% and costs were reduced by more than $4 million.

"We're so proud of the collaboration between our clinicians, nurses, pharmacists, and data scientists who all work together to ensure that we are using every tool at our disposal to make processes safer," said Deborah Ford, Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Quality at OMC.

OMC’s use of the dyad model is another commitment to quality improvement in which unit-based medical directors and nursing unit directors work together to produce better outcomes for patients. This collaborative effort was evident in summer 2021 in the midst of a significant COVID-19 surge, and OMC had to double its intensive care beds while facing a shortage of nurses to staff them. The shared perspective and communication between units allowed over 200 medical staff members to learn nursing flows, ultimately contributing more than 10,000 hours to support nurses in keeping their patients safe.

"Thanks to the AHA committee for this honor and thank you to Ochsner Health team members for your ongoing commitment to excellence," said Bradley Goodson, Chief Executive Officer at OMC.

University Hospitals Health System, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, was named the 2022 recipient of the American Hospital Association Quest for Quality Prize. Both Ochsner and WellSpan Health in York, Pa., were honored as finalists, while NorthShore University HealthSystem in Evanston, Ill. received the Citation of Merit.

“This year’s honorees have made outstanding contributions in elevating the quality of care they provide each day to their patients and communities,” said Rick Pollack, AHA’s president and CEO. “The commitments from these organizations will inspire more hospitals and systems to lead in advancing healthcare in America.”

To learn more about Ochsner or OMC, please visit ochsner.org.

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About Ochsner Health

Ochsner Health is an integrated healthcare system with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate. Celebrating 80 years in 2022, it leads nationally in cancer care, cardiology, neurosciences, liver and heart transplants and pediatrics, among other areas. Ochsner is consistently named both the top hospital and top children’s hospital in Louisiana by U.S. News & World Report. The not-for-profit organization is inspiring healthier lives and stronger communities. Its focus is on preventing diseases and providing patient-centered care that is accessible, affordable, convenient and effective. Ochsner Health pioneers new treatments, deploys emerging technologies and performs groundbreaking research, including over 700 clinical studies. It has more than 34,000 employees and over 4,500 employed and affiliated physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties. It operates 40 hospitals and more than 300 health and urgent care centers across Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South; and its cutting-edge Connected Health digital medicine program is caring for patients beyond its walls. In 2021, Ochsner Health treated more than 1 million people from every state and 75 countries. As Louisiana’s top healthcare educator, Ochsner Health and its partners educate thousands of healthcare professionals annually. To learn more, visit https://www.ochsner.org/.

About the American Hospital Association (AHA)
The American Hospital Association (AHA) is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA advocates on behalf of our nearly 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations, our clinician partners – including more than 270,000 affiliated physicians, 2 million nurses and other caregivers – and the 43,000 health care leaders who belong to our professional membership groups. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides insight and education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org.