Premier Quality Award
Highline Medical Center Receives National Quality Award for Hip and Knee Replacement
Burien, Washington, June 20, 2007 - Highline Medical Center today announced it has been recognized by the Premier healthcare alliance with the 2007 Premier Award for Quality for excellence in the care of patients.
Awarded in six clinical areas, the Premier Award for Quality is based on quality and cost data regularly submitted to Premier for reporting and benchmarking purposes. The award is distinguished by its consideration of performance-based criteria, including clinical quality outcomes, clinical process indicators and resource utilization outcomes.
Highline Medical Center was selected as a top performer in the area of hip and knee replacement procedures. Measurements show that Highline has one of the lowest complication rates in the nation for patients undergoing hip and knee replacement surgery while, at the same time, being one of the most efficient hospitals in terms of surgical resource allocation. In addition, Highline has one of the highest compliance rates with the Surgical Care Improvement Program (SCIP) national patient safety measures.
"Hospitals that win the Premier Award for Quality deliver the highest quality of care in a cost-effective way," said Stephanie Alexander, senior vice president and general manager of Premier Healthcare Informatics. "Congratulations to all of them for delivering excellent patient care by using best practices and evidence-based decision- making."
"Receiving the Premier Award for Quality demonstrates that our staff and physicians are continuously striving to offer the highest quality patient care on a daily basis," said Mark Benedum, chief executive officer of Highline Medical Center.
"As an organization, we have focused on developing specific programs to improve clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. We are determined to be one of the best healthcare organizations in the Puget Sound region. Receiving the distinguished Premier Quality Award is proof of our progress toward that goal," he concluded.
Three winners were picked in each category for each hospital type from an eligible pool of nearly 400 Premier hospitals. Hospitals that submitted data to Premier's Perspective™ database, the most comprehensive clinical, financial and operational comparative database in the nation, between October 2005 and September 2006 were eligible to receive the 2007 Premier Award for Quality.
About Premier, 2006 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient
Serving 1,700 hospitals and more than 46,500 other healthcare sites, Premier is the largest healthcare alliance in the United States dedicated to improving patient outcomes while safely reducing the cost of care. Owned by not-for-profit hospitals, Premier operates the nation's largest healthcare purchasing network, the most comprehensive repository of hospital clinical and financial information and one of the largest policy-holder owned, hospital professional liability risk-retention groups in healthcare.
Headquartered in San Diego, Premier has offices in Charlotte, N.C. and Washington. For more information, visit www.premierinc.com.
Highline Medical Center’s comprehensive system of care includes two healthcare campuses, a state of the art cancer center and more than 20 clinics across southwest king county. No matter what you need, from orthopedic surgery to obstetrics to heart care to home health, you will find it at Highline, where you will have access to the leading medical experts and sophisticated technology. Through our Planetree model of care, we are committed to caring for each patient with genuine respect, understanding and compassion. To learn more, visit www.HighlineMedicalCenter.org.