AAAHC recognized the University of Utah Student Health Center and the PAMF Surgery Center Fremont as winners of its annual quality improvement award. This award recognizes AAAHC-accredited organizations for exemplary quality improvement studies in areas of primary care and surgical/procedural care.
The award – named for Bernard A. Kershner, a leader in ambulatory health care and distinguished past Chair of the AAAHC Institute Board of Trustees – was presented to representatives from the winning organizations at the 2017 Achieving Accreditation conference in Tampa, Florida.
AAAHC-accredited organizations were invited to submit detailed descriptions of completed quality improvement studies, and three finalists in each category were identified from the submissions.
In the primary care category, the University of Utah Student Health Center implemented a comprehensive improvement study to increase human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates among male college students through the use of electronic medical record (EMR) alerts. The surgical/procedural care winner, PAMF Surgery Center Fremont, conducted an improvement study to increase operating room turnover efficiency and shorten turnover times.
“The Kershner Awards showcase innovative quality improvement studies that have achieved measurable advancement to meet or exceed a defined goal,” said Naomi Kuznets, Ph.D., vice president and senior director for AAAHC Institute. “The AAAHC Institute takes great pride in recognizing this year’s winners for their creativity and collaborative approaches to QI.”