HCA Affiliated Kingwood Medical Center has received the Texas Health Care Quality Improvement Award of Excellence from TMF® Health Quality Institute, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for Texas.

Photo L to R: (Backrow) Bryan Lee, CFO; Megan Marietta, COO; Becky Harmon, CNO; (seated) Melinda Stephenson, CEO.

TMF established the awards program in partnership with The Texas Hospital Association, Texas Medical Association, Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals and Texas Osteopathic Medical Association.

Texas Health Care Quality Improvement Awards honor Texas hospitals that are performing quality initiatives aimed at improving outcomes in patient care by recognizing those hospitals that have improved their performance on specific national quality measures.

The awards acknowledge hospitals for improving care related to acute myocardial infarction or AMI (heart attack), heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care. These clinical areas have been designated as national health care priorities by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and The Joint Commission, an independent nonprofit, standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.

The awards recognize hospitals that are active in quality improvement and have made the required improvement on a composite scoring system, called the Appropriate Care Measure (ACM). For acute care hospitals, the ACM consists of 24 quality indicators: eight AMI, four heart failure, seven pneumonia and five surgical care measures. Critical access hospitals used an ACM score based on 11 quality indicators: four heart failure and seven pneumonia measures.

These CMS/Joint Commission priority areas were targeted because they measure care for common, serious health conditions that affect all adult patients. The quality measures—such as an initial antibiotic dose within six hours of admission for patients with pneumonia—are designed to ensure hospitals provide care consistent with current medical guidelines.

“At Kingwood Medical Center, continuously improving the services we provide our patients is top of mind,” said Melinda Stephenson, Kingwood Medical Center CEO. “We are honored to receive the Texas Health Care Quality Improvement Award of Excellence in recognition of our advancements, which enable us to continue providing quality care close to home.”

Out of 227 participating Texas hospitals, 27 met the criteria and were presented with the Texas Health Care Quality Improvement Award of Excellence and 66 were presented with the Quality Improvement Achievement Award. Hospitals receiving these awards were recognized at a special ceremony in Austin on August 27.

“As a nonprofit consulting company focused on promoting quality health and health care, TMF is proud to recognize these hospitals for promoting quality improvement activities and their senior management for promoting a quality culture,” said Tom Manley, CEO of TMF Health Quality Institute. “Quality improvement is a complex and demanding process and we thank Clear Lake Regional Medical Center for their commitment to improving the health of Texans and the efficiency of health care in our state.”

To earn the Award of Excellence, a hospital had to achieve or maintain performance between 90 and 100 percent on the Appropriate Care Measure and to have met all other awards requirements. These included passing validation of three quarters of data (quarters 1-3, 2008), having mortality scores within the projected range and submitting the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey (HCAHPS) data. (Data for mortality rates and HCAHPS are not available for critical access hospitals and, therefore, were not part of the awards criteria for these hospitals.)

About Kingwood Medical Center
Kingwood Medical Center, an affiliate of HCA, Inc., is a 211-bed acute care facility comprised of 24-hour emergency services, the area’s only interventional cardiology program, cardiac catheterization lab, cardiac diagnostic services, cardiac surgery, cardiac rehabilitation, Primary Stroke Center, Level III neonatal intensive care unit, women’s services, the area’s only designated pediatric unit, surgery, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, laboratory, radiology, imaging/diagnostic services, outpatient day surgery, and a sleep disorders center.

About HCA Gulf Coast Division
HCA Gulf Coast Division is a comprehensive network of hospitals, outpatient surgery centers, emergency centers, cancer centers and diagnostic imaging facilities.  It offers a complete continuum of specialized health programs and services that meet the needs of Greater Houston and South Texas residents and businesses.  HCA affiliated facilities in the Gulf Coast Division include 12 hospitals, 6 ambulatory surgery centers, 4 free standing emergency centers, 5 imaging centers, 5 cancer care programs and a Regional Transfer Center.  The Regional TransferCenter provides ground and air patient transportation  to and from any HCA Houston Affiliated Hospital and any other healthcare facilities.   

About TMF
TMF Health Quality Institute is an Austin-based nonprofit consulting company focused on promoting quality health and health care through contracts with federal, state and local governments, as well as private organizations. TMF partners with health care providers in a variety of settings to ensure that every person receives the appropriate care, every time. www.tmf.org .