UMC Recognized by The Joint Commission for Quality Improvement

The Joint Commission has recognized University Medical Center (UMC) New Orleans as a 2017 Pioneers in Quality™ honoree for its contributions to electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) data for quality improvement in healthcare. UMC joins an exclusive group of United States hospitals and health systems recognized for embracing new technology to submit data about the care it provides to patients.

The Joint Commission, the United States’ leading accreditor of healthcare organizations, established the Pioneers in Quality™ program to assist and recognize hospitals that report eCQM data, as well as to share best practices for all hospitals in gathering, analyzing, and leveraging eCQM data for quality improvement.

Until recently, most hospitals collected information to measure healthcare quality by manually abstracting data from patient records. Today, through eCQMs – which rely on structured, encoded data present in the electronic health record--hospitals can electronically collect and transmit data on the quality of care that patients receive. The electronic data can be analyzed to measure and improve care processes, performance, and outcomes.

Of more than 3,200 Joint Commission-accredited hospitals that reported 2016 data, only 480 have been named 2017 Pioneers in Quality™ hospitals by meeting criteria in the following areas:

Expert Contributor: Hospitals that advance the evolution and utilization of eCQMs through such contribution as presenting at a Pioneers in Quality ™ webinar or participating in eCQM development. 

Solution Contributor: Hospitals that submit an eCQM solution or implementation story for the Proven Practices Collection.

Data Contributor: Hospitals that transmit eCQM data into the production database by the 2017 submission date.

UMCNO met the Solution Contributor criteria. It was one of 11 hospitals nationwide that submitted a practice selected for inclusion in The Joint Commission’s “Proven Practices Collection,” a peer-to-peer resource for other accredited hospitals on proven eCQM and health IT practices.

“We are thrilled to be recognized by The Joint Commission 2017 Pioneers in Quality Program,” said Bill Masterton, UMC’s President and CEO. “It reflects on our staff’s commitment to continuous quality improvement, especially as it relates to the adoption of electronic clinical quality measures—the evolution and future of healthcare data reporting. Like The Joint Commission, we believe gathering and analyzing performance data is crucial to continuously improving quality of care and outcomes for all patients.”

The departments and staff involved with eCQM adoption included:

Quality & Safety: Leisa Farrar, RN Analyst; and Roslyn Pruitt, RN Director.

Information Technology (IT):  Mindy Tortorich; Jeanne Kessler, System Analyst; and Jessica McNulty, System Analyst.

Nursing: Toni Rougeou, RN Stroke Coordinator.

Resident Leader: Claude Pirtle, MD.

“We commend University Medical Center New Orleans as a 2017 Pioneers in Quality™ organization for its contributions and commitment to electronic clinical quality measure data and practice toward quality improvement,” said David W. Baker, MD, MPH, FACP, executive vice president, Division of Health Care Quality Evaluation, The Joint Commission. “Out of 3,200 health care organizations, University Medical Center New Orleans is among only 480 that The Joint Commission has recognized this year for embracing new technology to submit data about the care it provides to patients. That work to voluntarily share information helps the entire industry move forward in utilizing electronic clinical quality measurement for healthcare improvement.”

Pioneers in Quality™ recognition is not an indicator or measure of data quality or quality of care, but an indicator of an organization’s commitment to adopting eCQMs toward quality improvement. It recognizes eCQM data reporting and other contributions that advance eCQM adoption in healthcare.

For more information about The Joint Commission and the Pioneers in Quality™ program, visit https://www.jointcommission.org/topics/pioneers_in_quality.aspx.

11/14/2017