Southeast Texas Medical Associates, LLP James L. Holly, M.D. Southeast Texas Medical Associates, LLP


In The News - SETMA's 2012 National Quality Forum National Healthcare Improvement Award
SETMA Application (Recipients Announced in 2012)
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SETMA and the NQF National Healthcare Quality Improvement Award 2012

Later today, December 8, 2011, SETMA will formally submit an application for the National Quality Forum’s National Healthcare Quality Improvement Award 2012. The award was established in 1993. There have been eighteen past recipients of the award. The application for the 2012 award covers six areas

  • Effective prioritization of performance improvement goals
  • Well-designed and deployed “dashboard” to measure and manage whole-system performance
  • Commitment to transparency
  • Date-driven improvement of NQS priorities, with an emphasis on patient-centered care, patient outcomes, reduced cost of care, and elimination of disparities
  • Demonstration of readiness to assume responsibilities of an accountable care organization, guided by the organization’s strategic goals and focusing on collaboration alignment
  • Demonstrated results on publicly reported performance measures

An applicant organization is allowed six pages for each section except the last which allows twelve pages making the total application 42 pages. SETMA’s application covers 34 pages of narrative and eight pages of spread sheet description of the quality metrics which we track, audit, analyze and publicly report.

Created in 1993, the award is the first of its kind to recognize outstanding quality-driven healthcare organizations. For 18 years, first through the National Committee for Quality Health Care and now through NQF, the award has provided encouragement for improvements in quality through public recognition of organizations' accomplishments. The past recipients have been:

  • 2011 Norton Healthcare 
  • 2010 North Shore-LIJ Health System 
  • 2008 Baylor Healthcare System, Dallas, Texas 
  • 2007 HealthPartners, Bloomington, MN  
  • 2006 Bringham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA   
  • 2005 Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL 
  • 2004 Trinity Health, Novi, MI 
  • 2003 Leigh Valley Hospital and Health Network, Allentown, PA 
  • 2002 Carilion Health System, Roanoke, VA 
  • 2001 Catholic Health Initiatives, Denver, CO 
  • 2000 Munson Medical Center, Traverse City, MI 
  • 1999 BJC Health System, St. Louis, MO 
  • 1998 University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, PA 
  • 1997 St. Luke's Hospital, Kansas City, MO 
  • 1996 Intermountain Healthcare, Salt Lake City, UT 
  • 1995 Evanston Hospital Corporation, Evanston, IL 
  • 1994 Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI 

There is no way to estimate the probability of SETMA receiving this award. Certainly no practice like SETMA ever has. Whether we succeed or not, the exercise has been very good. We have learned things about ourselves and we are better prepared to advance the quality of healthcare in the future because of having prepared the application.

The following is NQF’s description of the 2012 Award application process.

National Quality Forum’s National Quality Healthcare Award - 2012

2012 National Quality Health Award

The NQF National Quality Healthcare Award recognizes exceptional leadership and innovation to achieve national goals for quality improvement. This award recognizes a healthcare organization or practice for its proactive and exemplary response to the national call for quality improvement and accountability by:

  • successfully using performance measurements to drive quality improvement and manage care for patients across settings and overtime,
  • fostering a culture of transparency and accountability for patients and the local community; and,
  • raising the bar on performance to achieve safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient and equitable care for individual patients and populations.

Background

The award focuses on demonstrated performance on publicly quality measures and exemplary use of performance measurement to promote rapid-cycle improvements in patient care and whole-system performance. The award also focuses on organizational success in addressing the National Quality Strategy (NQS0 aims:

  • better care - making care more patient centered, safe, effective, and accessible;
  • healthier people and communities - supporting proven interventions to address behavioral, social, and environmental determinants of health and providing care that contributes to the highest level of health functioning, and
  • affordable care - working to reduce the cost of care for individuals, families, employers and government.

The special focus in 2012 will be the extent to which an organization is providing patient-centered care and achieving better health outcomes at lower per capita costs.

The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provides for the establishment of accountable care organizations (ACOs). Over time, ACOs are expect to assume greater and greater responsibility for providing patient-centered, care that improves health outcomes and lowers the per capita cost of care for the populations they serve. In 2011 award applicants will be asked to demonstrate how they have addressed the issues of clinical integration and care coordination, health outcomes, including health risk behaviors and health functioning; and removing waste form the healthcare systems.

2012 Award Criteria

  • Effective prioritization of performance improvement goals
  • Well-designed and deployed “dashboard” to measure and manage whole-system performance
  • Commitment to transparency
  • Date-driven improvement of NQS priorities, with an emphasis on patient-centered care, patient outcomes, reduced cost of care, and elimination of disparities
  • Demonstration of readiness to assume responsibilities of an accountable care organization, guided by the organization’s strategic goals and focusing on collaboration alignment
  • Demonstrated results on publicly reported performance measures
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