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LOS ANGELES, Calif., April 5, 2012 – An innovative pilot program created by the Hospital Association of Southern California (HASC) and L.A. Care Health Plan to reduce patient readmission rates at seven area hospitals was among the Project BOOST initiatives recognized by the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) today, as it received the 2011 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award for Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality at the National Level.

The National Quality Forum and The Joint Commission presented the 2011 Eisenberg Award to SHM at the National Quality Forum Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.  SHM was honored for its mentored implementation model, which has been utilized in more than 300 hospitals and touched tens of thousands of patients across the country.

In Southern California, HASC and L.A. Care Health Plan, the nation’s largest public health plan, have collaborated on a one-year initiative called the Readmissions Reduction Collaborative. The program, which is modeled on SHM’s Project BOOST (Better Outcomes for Older adults through Safe Transitions), is designed to reduce the number of patient readmissions; improving quality and outcomes across the continuum of care at the seven participating hospitals.

Results of the initiative – facilitated by HASC and SHM, and funded by L.A. Care Health Plan – will be announced at the Readmissions Reduction Collaborative Outcomes Congress in Montebello on June 7.
“We are very proud that our efforts to improve patient safety and quality here in Southern California have been recognized by SHM as part of this prestigious award,” said Julia Slininger, RN, BS, CPHQ, Vice President, Quality and Patient Safety, for the Hospital Association of Southern California. “The success of our project is due to the diligent work of our seven participating hospitals, and their innovative approaches to helping patients through the transition from the hospital to the next level of care.”

The seven hospitals participating in the Readmissions Reduction Collaborative are Antelope Valley Hospital, Garfield Medical Center, Harbor UCLA Medical Center, Olympia Medical Center, Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, St. Francis Medical Center, and Valley Presbyterian Hospital.

About the Hospital Association of Southern California

The Hospital Association of Southern California (HASC), founded in 1923, is a not-for-profit 501(c)(6) regional trade association. The mission of HASC is to serve the political, economic, informational and educational needs of hospitals and to help improve the quality and accessibility of health services.