The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety featured the recipients of the John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Awards, presented annually by the National Quality Forum (NQF) and The Joint Commission, in three open access articles from its July 2017 issue.
Launched in 2002, the awards honor the late John M. Eisenberg, former administrator of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. This year’s three Eisenberg Award honorees are recognized for groundbreaking initiatives consistent with the aims of the National Quality Strategy: better care, healthy people and communities, and affordable care:
- Individual Achievement – Carolyn Clancy, MD, deputy under secretary for Health for Organizational Excellence, Veterans Health Administration, Washington, D.C.
- Innovation of Patient Safety and Quality at the National Level – I-Pass Study Group, Boston Children’s Hospital
- Innovation of Patient Safety and Quality at the Local Level – Christiana Care Health System, Wilmington, Delaware
Christiana Care Health System was recognized for its development of Christiana Care Care Link, recently renamed Carelink CareNow – an information technology-enabled network of care coordination support services that build relationships among providers and patients to improve outcomes.
Carelink CareNow harnesses a real-time information technology platform that integrates information from regional health information exchanges along with other health information.
The article, “Innovative Information Technology-Powered Population Health Care Management Improves Outcomes and Reduces Hospital Readmissions and Emergency Department Visits,” describes how more than 8,600 patients in several surgical and medical populations, including joint replacement, cervical spine surgery, and congestive heart failure have received support from Carelink CareNow.
The Eisenberg Awards were presented at NQF’s annual conference in Pentagon City, VA on April 4.
