| November 15, 2010 | For More Information Contact: Andy Van Pelt 503-479-6018 |
15 Hospitals Participate in National Quality Improvement Effort
Oregon Health Care Quality Corp and Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems coordinate program aimed at improving hospital care delivery
Oregon Health Care Quality Corp (Quality Corp) and the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (OAHHS) today announced that 15 hospitals across Oregon will participate in the Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) Hospital Quality Network, an innovative, nationwide program led by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Quality Corp and OAHHS are coordinating the program in Oregon.
"Over a quarter of Oregon hospitals are participating in the AF4Q Hospital Quality Network," says Nancy Clarke, executive director of Quality Corp. "The incredible turnout confirms what we already knew about Oregon hospitals – that they are committed to providing quality care and will take any opportunity to lead and learn."
The AF4Q Hospital Quality Network includes three separate components to help hospitals improve how they communicate with diverse patients (Improving Language Services), reduce the amount of time spent waiting in emergency departments (Increasing Throughput), or ensure that patients who are discharged from the hospital are not readmitted because they missed important elements of their care (Reducing Readmissions). Hospital teams will participate in one or more of the separate components, working together to improve the quality and safety of patient care by piloting and testing new quality improvement strategies over an 18-month period.
"This is a tremendous value for Oregon's hospitals," says Diane Waldo, director of quality and clinical services for OAHHS. "The access to evidence-based best practices and national experts will help us build on the success our hospitals have around quality initiatives."
Led by RWJF, the AF4Q Hospital Quality Network is overseen by the Center for Health Care Quality at The George Washington University Medical Center School of Public Health and Health Services, which serves as the national program office for the AF4Q initiative. AF4Q is RWJF's signature effort to lift the overall quality of health care in targeted communities, as well as reduce racial and ethnic disparities and provide models for national reform. In 2007, RWJF selected Oregon Health Care Quality Corp to lead the local AF4Q effort.
For more information, visit www.rwjf.org/qualityequality/af4q or www.PartnerForQualityCare.org.
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Hospitals participating in the AF4Q Hospital Quality Network in Oregon are:
- Ashland Community Hospital, Ashland
- Bay Area Hospital, Coos Bay
- Good Shepherd Medical Center, Hermiston
- Lake District Hospital, Lakeview
- Mid-Columbia Medical Center, The Dalles
- Oregon Health & Science University, Portland
- Pioneer Memorial Hospital, Prineville
- Rogue Valley Medical Center, Medford
- Samaritan Albany General Hospital, Albany
- Silverton Hospital, Silverton
- Sky Lakes Medical Center, Klamath Falls
- St. Charles Medical Center, Bend
- St. Charles Medical Center, Redmond
- Tuality Community Hospital, Hillsboro
- Willamette Valley Medical Center, McMinnville
The Oregon Health Care Quality Corporation is a nonprofit partnership managed by a balanced Board of Directors, senior representatives from health plans, physician groups, purchasers, hospitals, consumers and government that work together to improve health care quality. Founded in 2000, Quality Corp's projects have demonstrated the value of working cooperatively. For more information, visit www.q-corp.org.
The Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (OAHHS) founded in 1934, is a statewide, nonprofit trade association representing Oregon's 58 acute care hospitals. OAHHS also works closely with local and national government leaders, business and citizen coalitions, and other professional health care organizations to enhance and promote community health and to continue improving Oregon's innovative health care industry. For more information, visit www.oahhs.org
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.
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