For the second year in a row, USA Health has earned national recognition for its commitment to patient safety, winning the 2024 Human Experience (HX) Achievement Award for SSER Reduction from healthcare consultant Press Ganey.

According to a news release, the Mobile-based health system was one of only nine in the country to receive the honor, which recognizes significant improvements in reducing serious safety events.

USA Health achieved a 73% reduction in its system-level serious safety event rate, a metric that tracks incidents resulting in death, permanent harm, or severe temporary harm. The health system also demonstrated strong results in a September 2024 safety culture survey, scoring well in safety culture perception, prevention, and reporting.

“Winning this award, especially for the second year in a row, demonstrates our commitment to making safety our No. 1 priority,” said Owen Bailey, MSHA, FACHE, USA Health chief executive officer and senior associate vice president for medical affairs. “We are constantly looking for ways to improve and provide the safest and best care for patients.”

The award marks USA Health’s continued success in fostering a safety-focused culture. In 2023, the system earned the same award for achieving a 74% reduction in serious safety events.

STRENGTHENING SAFETY THROUGH SYSTEMWIDE INITIATIVES

USA Health’s transformation began in January 2020 when it created a dedicated safety department and launched the Safety Starts with Me initiative, which promotes high reliability and patient protection. In partnership with Press Ganey, USA Health implemented a comprehensive program tailored to its needs, featuring systemwide education on universal safety skills, fair and just culture, and leadership strategies.

Key initiatives include:

Safety Coach Program: Engaging frontline staff to provide input on safety concerns and improvement ideas.

Serious Safety Event Review Committee: Establishing a structured process to objectively review patient harm cases.

Following the acquisition of Providence Hospital, USA Health expanded its safety strategies systemwide. Staff at Providence were trained on the Safety Starts with Me program and integrated into the safety coach initiative.

“We will continue to work with Press Ganey to combine our serious safety event review teams, lessons learned, and hard-wiring safety and reliability in our leaders’ day-to-day work,” said Becky Pomrenke, M.S.N., RN, CNL, CNS, director of patient safety. “We will also focus on increasing safety-event reporting, as research shows hospitals with increased safety reporting have decreased serious safety events.”

NATIONAL RECOGNITION AND CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT

USA Health’s focus on high reliability is part of a broader effort to deliver consistent, high-quality care. Michael Chang, M.D., system chief medical officer, said the latest award reflects the system’s continued progress.

“This second award is really a remarkable achievement in that it represents continued improvement after an initial leap forward,” Chang said. “Our intent is to continue this trajectory, even though it becomes progressively harder to improve year after year.”

USA Health joins a prestigious group of 2024 HX Achievement Award recipients, including the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Nebraska Medicine, ECU Health, Texas Health Resources, Roper St. Francis, Catholic Health, Novant Health and Bristol Hospital.

The award is part of Press Ganey’s annual ranking of the top healthcare systems in the country. The organization works with more than 41,000 healthcare facilities, helping them transform patient data into insights that drive innovation and better outcomes.