Emory Healthcare and Emory Decatur Hospital earn Georgia Hospital Association statewide patient safety awards

DECATUR, GA - Emory Healthcare and Emory Decatur Hospital were recognized by the Georgia Hospital Association (GHA) with three of the organization's patient safety and quality awards. The annual awards honor Georgia health care organizations for reducing the risk of medical errors while improving patient safety and clinical outcomes.

Emory Healthcare won second place in the health systems category for its project "Pathway to Excellence: A Systemwide Journey to Mortality Reduction and Safer Care."

The initiative addressed the need to enhance mortality outcomes and expand equitable access to end-of-life care. Key results from the initiative include a 45.7% improvement in the Vizient Mortality Index across all operating units and a 163% increase in hospice care admissions.

"This recognition from the Georgia Hospital Association underscores the meaningful progress we are making in elevating quality and safety across our system," says Joon S. Lee, MD, executive vice president for Woodruff Health Sciences, Emory University, and chief executive officer of Emory Healthcare. "These awards reflect the expertise, dedication and compassion of our teams - all united by a commitment to delivering safer, more reliable care for every patient we serve across Georgia and beyond."

Emory Decatur Hospital won first place in the hospitals with greater than 300 beds category for its project "Waterfall Rapid Medical Evaluation (RME): Transforming Front-End Emergency Care."

Key results from the initiative include a 77% decrease in left without care completion rates, a reduction in turnaround time for discharged emergency department patients by 90 minutes and a 33% increase in Press Ganey patient experience scores, despite a 12% year-over increase in emergency department patient volume.

"We were proud to submit our RME project as an example of how bold redesign, guided by evidence and teamwork, can transform patient care," says Jen Schuck, CEO of Emory Decatur, Emory Hillandale and Emory Long-Term Acute Care hospitals. "At Emory Decatur, we focus on strengthening early-recognition practices and ensuring our care teams have the tools and support needed to intervene quickly and effectively. This achievement reflects the extraordinary dedication of our clinicians, nurses and staff who work every day to make our hospital safer for the community we serve."

Emory Healthcare was also presented with a Circle of Excellence award, an honor given to hospitals and health systems that have demonstrated a sustained commitment to quality and patient safety as evidenced by not only winning a patient safety award in the current year, but by earning three or more GHA Patient Safety and Quality Awards within the previous five years. Emory Healthcare has consistently earned GHA Patient Safety Awards since the program's inception in 2003 and 20 Circle of Excellence Awards since 2006.

About Emory Healthcare

Emory Healthcare, with 29,500 employees and 11 hospitals, is the most comprehensive academic health system in Georgia. System-wide, it has 3,028 licensed patient beds, more than 3,800 physicians practicing in more than 70 specialties, serving metro Atlanta and Georgia. It also provides services to greater Georgia through a joint venture at St. Francis-Emory Healthcare in Columbus, six regional affiliate hospitals and its clinically integrated physician network.

About Emory Decatur Hospital

Emory Decatur Hospital, one of 11 Emory Healthcare hospitals, is a 451-bed facility located on North Decatur Road in Decatur, Georgia. Emory University School of Medicine faculty, private practice physicians and Emory Specialty Associates physicians care for patients at Emory Decatur, along with more than 2,500 staff. Services include emergency medicine, oncology, heart and vascular care including stroke, maternity care, orthopaedics, behavioral health, a weight loss center and a medical fitness center, among others.