Joint Commission Names 2002 Codman Award Winners

11/25/2002

From: Charlene D. Hill of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, 630-792-5175 E-mail: chill@jcaho.org

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill, Nov. 25 -- The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations today announced this year's organization and individual winners of the sixth annual Ernest A. Codman Award that recognizes excellence in the use of outcomes measurement by health care organizations to achieve improvements in the quality and safety of health care.

The award recipients in the following categories are: -- Behavioral Health: Sinnissippi Centers, Dixon, Illinois -- Hospital: Children's Hospital and Health Center, San Diego, Calif. -- Long Term Care: Marwood Nursing & Rehab, Port Huron, Michigan -- Multiple Organization: Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association, Dayton, Ohio -- Multiple Organization: Iowa Health System, Des Moines, Iowa -- Individual: the late John Eisenberg, M.D., former director, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Named for the physician regarded in health care as the "father of outcomes measurement," the Ernest A. Codman Award showcases the effective use of performance measurement by health care organizations and individuals to improve the quality and safety of health care. Awards may be given in each of the following categories each year if a candidate organization or individual qualifies: ambulatory care, behavioral health care, hospital, home care, laboratory, long term care, network, multiple organization, and individual. A panel of national experts in quality measurement and improvement selected the six recipients of the 2002 Awards.

The Joint Commission will formally present the award to the winners on Wednesday, December 11, during its National Conference on Quality and Safety in Health Care held in Chicago.

"The Joint Commission applauds each of the winners of the 2002 Codman Award for their achievements in enhancing the quality of care for patients," says Dennis S. O'Leary, M.D., president, Joint Commission. "The innovative approaches and commitment to health care improvement of these award winners demonstrate what is possible by measuring performance to guide improvements in patient safety and health care quality."

The specific achievements of the 2002 Codman Award winners are: -- Sinnissippi Centers developed a new approach that helps clients with both mental illness and substance abuse problems receive coordinated treatment, rather than shuffling between separate programs. The program has meant a nearly 60 percent reduction in drop-out rates among those enrolled in Sinnissippi's mentally ill and substance abuse programs. Process measures also showed a significantly lower use of emergency services, fewer emergency psychiatric hospitalizations and increased sobriety among program participants.

-- Children's used evidence-based, clinical pathways (i.e., multidisciplinary clinical plans that focus on quality and coordination of care) to provide optimal care for its young patients. Over 60 pathways have been implemented during the past eight years, aiding in the coordination and delivery of quality of care for thousands of patients and resulting in a 90 percent adherence rate to pathway protocols.

-- Marwood Nursing & Rehab decreased the prevalence of chronic pain among its residents from 33 percent in March 2000 to 23 percent in December 2001. The reduction is significant given that the assessment of an individual's pain is highly complex, particularly among the elderly who may have cognitive or communication difficulties.

-- The Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association undertook a far-reaching effort to develop accurate, meaningful and comparable measures of cost, quality and patient satisfaction that can be used to improve the health care provided to residents of the community. The group's efforts targeting acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have resulted in a 36 percent drop in mortality rates over a three-year period. The reduction translates into more than 150 lives saved over that stretch.

-- Iowa Health Systems improved diabetes care for 58,000 patients served by 11 hospitals. As a result of the disease-specific care initiative, Hemoglobin A1c levels -- which are higher for diabetics -- have been reduced to near-normal levels of seven percent. The reduction in Hemoglobin A1c levels is estimated to reduce the risk that patients will suffer further complications by 30 to 60 percent.

-- John Eisenberg, M.D., was a passionate advocate for patient safety until the time of his death in March 2002, serving as director of the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and bringing unprecedented national visibility to the role of researchers in reducing medical errors. He was one of the founding leaders of the National Quality Forum. Dr. Eisenberg is the first posthumous recipient of the Codman Award for individuals.

------ Founded in 1951, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits nearly 17,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including approximately 9,000 hospitals and home care organizations, and 8,000 other health care organizations that provide long term care, assisted living, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also accredits health plans, integrated delivery networks, and other managed care entities. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.