BMH Receives Achievement Award from The Hospital & HealthSystem Association of PA

April 21, 2008 — (BUTLER, Pa) —Butler Memorial Hospital recently received recognition for its pneumonia vaccination initiative from The Hospital & HealthSystem Association of Pennsylvania. Sixteen winners were selected from 100 entries this year.

Each year, HAP honors creativity and commitment to patient care through the annual HAP Achievement Awards which showcase and share member hospital and health system innovations and best practices in a variety of areas. The award categories for 2008 were workforce, community outreach and engagement, patient safety, patient care and operational excellence.

BMH was recognized in the patient care category. The application was coordinated by John Reefer, M.D., Medical Director of the Office of Organizational Excellence and Nichole Anthony, MBA, a systems improvement specialist in OOE.

“We are pleased to receive this recognition, and it shows our dedication to quality improvement both in BMH and in our community,” says Reefer. “When we see an opportunity to improve care to positively affect patient outcomes and improve the health of our community, we work diligently to develop, implement, and test processes that make it easier for our nurses and medical staff to provide that intervention to the appropriate patients EVERY time.”

Winning entries are highlighted on HAP’s website at www.haponline.org.

Members of the Office of Organizational Excellence were on hand to receive the 2008 Achievement Award earned by BMH. From left are Diane Wilson, Systems Improvement Manager; Nichole Anthony, a Systems Improvement Specialist; and John Reefer, M.D., Medical Director with this year's award plaque.