The prestigious John M. Eisenberg awards, established by the Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum, are given out annually in a bid to acknowledge and commend unique and effective patient safety efforts. Named after John M. Eisenberg, a pioneer in healthcare quality improvement, these awards underline creativity in three domains – clinical quality and safety at the national and local levels, and individual accomplishment. In the healthcare field, such recognition serves to reinforce crucial initiatives, encourage progress, and share successful practices across different medical institutions.
In the year 2024, three distinct honors were awarded. Chicago-based entity, CommonSpirit Health, lifted the National Level Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality award. This health system directed its attention to heart failure, maternal hypertension, and catheter-associated urinary tract infections in their pursuit of clinical excellence. Their enhancement model helped cut down on hospital and heart failure mortality rates, and also decreased disparities in patient care. Over a three-year period, their efforts brought tangible benefits to more than 409,130 patients, preventing around 2,700 harm events in 99 acute care hospitals.
Next, the Local Level Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality award was given to Dallas-based Parkland Health for developing a comprehensive surveillance program, with an emphasis on identifying and rectifying diagnostic delays. Delayed imaging findings became the primary focus, and the health system adopted an AI language model that bolstered the identification process’s accuracy to an impressive 97.2%. Advanced applications involved the use of a population health management tool, motivational interviewing via bilingual staff, and the integration of social workers.
The award for Individual Achievement honored Dr. Elliott Main, a clinical professor in obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Main has played a pivotal role in both state and national-level quality improvement initiatives for maternal health. He was instrumental in setting up the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health, forming state perinatal quality groups in 49 states, and steering research that culminated in four national perinatal care metrics. These are now utilized by the Joint Commission and CMS. He spearheaded the crafting of obstetric quality improvement toolkits, national safety bundles, and also, the creation of the Maternal Data Center. This center offers timely and crucial outcome data to hospitals in California, Oregon, and Washington.