2024 KHA Quality Awards
Critical Access Hospitals
Mary Breckinridge ARH Hospital in Hyden for redesigning their operational discharge process in order to improve the transition-of-care experience for their patients. With interdisciplinary engagement and best-practice quality models, they increased patient satisfaction with care transitions by 134%.
Hospitals with Fewer Than 100 Beds
Rockcastle Regional Hospital in Mount Vernon for the hospital’s adolescent mental health promotion project. The hospital collaborated with school officials to provide counseling services on-site in the local schools. Rockcastle hired two licensed clinical social workers and a patient navigator, trained 274 teachers in identifying students who may have experienced traumatic events, and educated families about the new services available. The program has become so popular there is now a waiting list, and the hospital is recruiting more help to continue this crucial work.
Hospitals with 100 - 250 Beds
Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center in Danville identified an opportunity to improve the issue of low neurologically intact survival rates for patients following cardiac arrest, so the hospital established a mechanical circulatory support system that would alert ECMO-trained professionals of cardiac emergencies where they may need to be rapidly deployed.
Collaborating with regional EMS teams to adjust their cardiac arrest protocols to also be able to deploy this response from the field using pre-established criteria, they became the first hospital in the state of Kentucky (and only the 14th in the entire country) to be able to offer Emergency Department ECMO services 24/7.
Hospitals with 250+ Beds
Baptist Health Paducah collaborated with a local community and technical college to design a prototype for a custom 3-D tactile education tool to elevate awareness of screening criteria for lung nodules in patients at risk for cancer. Using this tool in conjunction with other initiatives resulted in a 321% increase in lung cancer screening rates in just three years.
Psychiatric Hospital
UofL Health – Peace Hospital in Louisville implemented patient self-assessments to enhance the patient experience and improve the likelihood of achieving the best possible outcomes. The new system helped patients feel empowered and let them know they were valued and respected.
Physical Rehabilitation or Long-Term Acute Care Hospital
Continuing Care Hospital in Lexington decreased their incidence of hospital-acquired pressure injury (HAPI) by 77%. Patients in an LTACH are especially at risk of HAPI due to the severity of their conditions and long lengths of stay, so this vast improvement is difficult to achieve. The hospital invested in multiple interventions including hiring specialists for skin and wound care to achieve the results.
2024 KHA Quality Poster Presentation Awards
First Place
Owensboro Health Regional Hospital
Title: “The Eyes on the Lines Project for Reduction in Device Utilization & Healthcare Associated Infections”
Second Place
Med Center Health, Bowling Green
Title: “Shining a Spotlight on CAUTI Prevention”
Third Place
CHI St. Joseph Health
Title: “A Multidisciplinary Approach to Improving Responsiveness Across an Acute Care Facility”
Honorable Mention
Baptist Health Richmond
Title: “Aim for the Target: Optimizing Anti-Pseudomonal Antibiotic Utilization at a Community Hospital”