Hartford Healthcare, based in Connecticut, has been declared the recipient of the prestigious 2025 Quest for Quality Prize, to be formally presented at the forthcoming American Hospital Association (AHA) Leadership Summit in Nashville. The prize is a testament to the healthcare organizations that have been trailblazers in advancing the quality of care through innovative practices, as stated in an AHA news release on July 15.
According to the release, Hartford Healthcare’s accomplishment underscores its commitment to a culture of ongoing improvement, a trait that sets it apart and is consistently nurtured across all strata of the organization. Remarkably, the healthcare system has registered a significant 70% reduction in healthcare-acquired infections from 2015 to 2023. Likewise, it reported a substantial 48% hike in the identification of potential safety incidents by team members between the years 2021 and 2023. The prize acknowledges these feats as part of the institution’s unwavering pursuit of healthcare excellence.
Commendably, another health system based in Chicago, CommonSpirit Health, was declared a finalist for the coveted award. The system has been praised for its effective eight-step methodology to propagate changes throughout its hospitals—a practice that has led to an ascension of 20 of the system’s performance metrics to rank either at or above the national median’s top third. The recognition of these healthcare systems underlines the future of infection prevention and highlights the critical importance of culture in medical facilities in shaping health outcomes.