UHC honors UC San Diego Health System with Quality Leadership Award

UC San Diego Health System is proud to receive the 2011 UHC Quality Leadership Award. This national award is given to academic medical centers that demonstrate excellence in delivering high-quality care as measured by the UHC Quality & Accountability Study, which has been conducted by the consortium annually since 2005.

"This is an incredible accomplishment for UC San Diego Health System," said Tom Jackiewicz, Health System CEO. "In a single year, our ranking jumped from 13th to fifth in the nation. This is a clear indicator that our current quality initiatives are making a positive, comprehensive impact on patients who arrive here from the U.S. and around the world."

UC San Diego Health System is the region's only academic health system and is comprised of world-class centers including UC San Diego Medical Center-Hillcrest, Thornton Hospital, Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center, Moores Cancer Center and Shiley Eye Center.

"UC San Diego Health System has achieved outstanding clinical outcomes by engaging interdisciplinary teams in providing safe and reliable care within an environment of enhanced communication," said Angela Scioscia, MD, chief medical officer. "Our institutional commitment to transparency and achieving excellence underlies all of our efforts."

By utilizing multiple communication platforms, UC San Diego Health System has developed a distinct culture focused on the patient experience. Evidence of these efforts includes Caring Rounds - a program in which hospital leaders personally round on patients, electronic quality dashboards, paperless systems for medical records, and extensive use of "UCSD Anywhere," its telemedicine program.

Andrea Snyder, quality officer, points out that safe quality care is a system-wide priority for every clinical team every day. She cites decreased hospital-acquired pressure ulcers, central line infections and risk-adjusted mortality as standout indicators for improved care.

"Key drivers for success have been our innovations in resuscitation and rapid response teams, comprehensive infection prevention, and robust clinical documentation improvement," said Snyder.

This year, 101 UHC member institutions were included in the analysis. UC San Diego Health System shared the recognition with nine other academic medical centers including Mayo Clinic Rochester and Emory Healthcare.

"The efforts of these 10 hospitals in improving patient care and operational effectiveness distinguish them as leaders," said Irene M. Thompson, UHC president and chief executive officer. "Being named a UHC Quality Leadership Award winner is a testament to everyone at the hospital—from the executives and board members to the physicians to the nurses and support staff. Earning this distinction is truly a team effort."

Source: UC San Diego Health System