BALTIMORE — GBMC HealthCare on Tuesday announced they've been awarded the nation’s highest presidential honor for performance excellence.
It's the first time a health care system in Maryland has been chosen to receive the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
GBMC HealthCare includes GBMC Hospital, Gilchrist hospice, and more than 300 primary care physicians and specialists.
They are one of only five organizations nationwide to receive the award in 2020 and one of 29 HealthCare companies ever win.
Prior to being selected, a team of examiners made a virtual visit to GBMC HealthCare and evaluated seven areas that make up the framework of Baldrige Excellence.
Here's what they found.
- GBMC’s Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and System (HCAHPS) rating for communication of care after discharge is approaching benchmark performance established by the Health Services Cost Review Commission, an independent state agency.
- Through its Strategic Planning Process, GBMC has identified key changes such as expansion of behavioral health services within its primary care offices and emergency department, provision of at-home outpatient rehabilitative services and for its skilled nursing facility, and the addition of a patient-centered medical home through a new office in its core market.
- GBMC supports its nursing workforce through multiple recognition and educational programs such as the Art of Nursing awards, the Nurse Residency Program, and the Center for Nursing Excellence. The Nurse Residency Program is one of only 61 worldwide to achieve accreditation with distinction, the highest level of recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. GBMC requires every nurse resident to fully implement an evidence-based practice project for graduation. Since 2017, first-year turnover for nurses decreased from about 27% to less than 15%, achieving performance in the top 10% of national hospitals.
Later, GBMC HealthCare President and CEO, Dr. John B. Chessare, received a phone call from U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross with news of the achievement.
"This recognition is the result of our embracement of systems thinking and the expertise, commitment, and hard work of our physicians, nurses, other clinicians, support staff, and volunteers.” said Dr. Chessare. “Achievement of the Baldrige National Quality Award is a reflection of our continued pursuit of GBMC HealthCare’s vision, ‘to every patient, every time, we will provide the care that we would want for our own loved ones.’ I am incredibly proud of our team for achieving this national recognition."
Named after former U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Malcolm Baldrige, the award was established by Congress in 1987 to enhance the competitiveness and performance of U.S. businesses.
The 2020 winners will be showcased at the Quest for Excellence Conference in April 2021.
During the virtual conference, recipients will share best practices, which will be featured in both live and on-demand sessions.
“I congratulate these five U.S. organizations for committing themselves to performance standards that have demonstrable positive effects on the American business community,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “Applying the Baldrige Criteria yields practical value to an organization in cost savings, customer satisfaction and financial gain while also producing higher revenue, growth and efficiency for improved competitiveness and performance.”
Howard Community College received the honor in 2019.
