Maryland Patient Safety Honors 2018

University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center Receives Top Honors from Maryland Patient Safety Center

University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center (UM UCMC) received the 2018 Minogue Award for Patient Safety Innovation at the 14th Annual Maryland Patient Safety Conference on April 13 in Baltimore. In addition, UM UCMC also received two Circle of Honor for Patient Safety Innovation Awards on April 12.

Presented each year by the Maryland Patient Safety Center as one of its two top honors, the 2018 Minogue Award recognizes the UM UCMC program, “S.T.A.R.T. with the Patient: A Safe Transition Assessment and Risk Tool.”

UM UCMC was also presented with two Circle of Honor Awards. They are for the programs "An orthopedics approach to population health management--development of a geriatric hip fracture program" and "Stop snoring with a bang! Reducing postoperative complications by screening patients for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) risk factors."

"Patient safety is priority one for us at University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health," said Lyle E. Sheldon, FACHE, president and CEO. "Recognition of the work we do by the Maryland Patient Safety Center is a great honor. I am very proud of our team members for their outstanding work in developing the S.T.A.R.T. program in addition to their innovations in the areas of orthopedics and sleep apnea." 

The S.T.A.R.T. status board assesses patients for readmission risks from the time of admission through discharge. The program alerts the clinical teams to obtain appropriate resources and interventions to improve outcomes and experiences of care transitions for their patients.

Through S.T.A.R.T., team members focus on communication, education and collaboration to reduce hospital readmissions to improve effectiveness and safety in the patient experience. For example, team members follow up with patients who have been discharged to discuss their medications--from getting them filled to taking them to discussing any side effects that may occur. They also discuss follow-up appointments and refer patients to case management colleagues when necessary.

Since the start of the program in 2016, the UM UCMC readmission rate has decreased nearly 2 percent. Statewide statistics during the same time show a little more than a 1 percent decline in readmissions.

"The creation of the START status board was a collaborative effort across clinical disciplines and in partnership with our Information Technology and Business Intelligence teams," said Lori J. Wilson, assistant vice president, patient services, University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health. "Everyone on the team was inspired and committed to creating this innovative tool that will benefit the safety of our patients throughout their transitions of care. We are extremely honored to receive the 2018 Minogue Award for  S.T.A.R.T. with the Patient."
 
Named for the Maryland Patient Safety Center’s first president and executive director, William Minogue, MD, FACP, the Minogue Award was established to honor his enduring contributions to and passion for improving patient care and safety. The award was created by the center's board of directors to recognize an organization within the state that has made a demonstrable difference in patient safety through an innovative solution.

The Minogue Award winner was selected by a panel of independent judges who are leaders in the Maryland health care community. 

“We congratulate our winners, who through their diligent efforts and strategic thinking have advanced the cause of improving patient safety,” said Robert Imhoff, president & CEO of the Maryland Patient Safety Center. “Timely and innovative solutions like the ones we are recognizing this year are needed to address the constantly evolving health care landscape facing health care practitioners in Maryland and beyond.”