Yuma Regional Medical Center is being recognized on a national level as a leader in improving care. This week, the American Hospital Association (AHA) honored YRMC as a Quest for Quality Prize finalist. The AHA Quest for Quality Prize recognizes healthcare systems for leadership and innovation in improving quality and advancing health in communities. YRMC was one of three hospitals recognized, including Memorial Healthcare System in Hollywood, Fla. (another finalist) and Yale New Haven Health, headquartered in New Haven, Conn. (this year’s prize recipient).
The selection process was carried out by a multi-disciplinary committee of health care quality and patient safety experts. The AHA selected the Yuma-area healthcare provider as a finalist after an extensive evaluation and in-depth analysis that compared them to other healthcare systems. The AHA cited YRMC leadership’s empowerment of employees to drive the path to improvement, as well as their proactive pandemic response as a major consideration for the honor.
“YRMC focuses on a culture of empowering of our staff to do the right thing, while also creating a safe environment to share what isn’t working well with leaders,” said Deb Aders, RN, VP of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer. “This culture change and keeping our primary focus of ‘Patients Come First’ really set our stage and prepared us for COVID-19. Not only were we able to maintain our quality success rates, but we improved them during COVID.”
The Quest for Quality Prize was first awarded in 2002. The prize is sponsored by RLDatix. This year’s recipients were recognized on July 28 at the virtual AHA 2021 Leadership Summit.
