La Plata Hospital One of 12 Winners Nationwide
UM Charles regional was recognized by Health.com for its mobility program which has led to improved patient outcomes.
The University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center, a member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), was recently honored with an Innovative Hospital Award by Health.com, recognizing the hospital's efforts at the forefront of medical innovation and their dedication to patient care and outcomes.
The Innovative Hospital Award focuses on initiatives that enhance the quality of care, patient safety, and access to healthcare services. UM Charles Regional was selected for its Mobility Rounds and Reports Program, only one of 12 hospitals in the nation to receive this year's honor.
"Discovery is one of the five values that we put into practice every day at Charles Regional and at UMMS as we strive to seek innovative ways to create a better state of care for our patients," said Noel Cervino, President and CEO of UM Charles Regional. "This national award is an acknowledgement of that work." The System's other four values are compassion, diversity, integrity and excellence.
Launched in December 2020, the Mobility Rounds and Reports initiative was designed to counter the risks associated with prolonged bed rest during hospital stays, such as muscle weakness, skin breakdown, increased risk of falls, and hospital-acquired infections. Recognizing the importance of early mobilization for patient recovery, UM Charles Regional's interdisciplinary team began conducting regular rounds to review patient mobility reports, identify barriers to movement, and implement solutions to encourage patient mobility.
The program has already yielded impressive results. Before the initiative, UM Charles Regional had an average out-of-bed activity score of 26%. Six months after the Mobility Rounds and Reports program was implemented, that score soared to 85%. The hospital also reported a 14.3% reduction in the average number of inpatient falls per 1,000 patients.
Health.com congratulated UM Charles Regional for its exceptional contributions to health care innovation; the award recognizes the community hospital's dedication to improving patient outcomes and setting a quality of care benchmark for hospitals and health systems worldwide.
View more information about The Innovative Hospital Awards and the winning program.