At the October 23 Town Meeting, BWH received an American Hospital Association (AHA) “Citation of Merit” for excellence in the use of information technology to support patient safety efforts. The Citation is part of The American Hospital Quest for Quality Prize, established by the AHA to honor leadership and innovation in quality and patient safety.
“The BWH Patient Safety team exhibits clear dedication to creating a culture of safety for patients in a blame-free environment,” said Rick Pollock, AHA executive vice president for advocacy and public policy, who presented the Citation. “This Town Meeting is a fitting forum in which to present this Citation as everyone of you ensures this exemplary level of quality patient care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.”
BWH was specifically recognized as a national leader in patient safety technology development, such as the computerized physician order entry system. “While technology allows us to further refine our systems, it is the increased education and active participation of all BWH staff that will enable us to continue to provide patient care in a highly special, truly safe environment,” said Tejal Gandhi, MD, director, BWH Patient Safety Team. “Patient safety represents not only a change in our systems, but also a change in our hospital culture overall.”
“Technology alone is not enough,” added Gary Gottlieb, MD, MBA, president, upon accepting the Citation on behalf of the hospital. “We as a hospital must make a deep commitment to patient safety and particularly to a blame-free environment for all BWH staff. When mistakes occur, we need to focus on the system itself in determining a solution that will prohibit that mistake from happening again.”
“Nothing is more fundamental to this hospital than patient safety,” said Gottlieb.