Catholic Health Announces Pinnacle Award Winners

Catholic Health presented its 2022 Annual Pinnacle Awards for Quality, Safety and Experience to Mercy Hospital and Catholic Health Home Care. The event, now in its eighth year, was held at the Tilles Center.
 
“Catholic Health is patient-centered and focused on quality outcomes,” said Catholic Health President and CEO Patrick O’Shaughnessy, DO, MBA. “We are committed to our goal of becoming the safest, most reliable, health care system on Long Island.” 
 
In the acute care category, Mercy Hospital won with its project Decreasing Health Disparities in Our Elderly Population. Using best practices and an interdisciplinary team, the hospital further ensured the safety of high fall-risk patients and those who suffer from dementia by investing in the AvaSure system to continually monitor this patient population.  
 
Catholic Home Care won in the continuing care category with its submission, Use of Remote Patient Monitoring to Increase Adherence in Patients with Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Asthma and COPD can adversely affect a person’s quality of life and inflict financial strain on the patient, provider and health care system. A quality improvement project was implemented from December 1, 2021 through March 14, 2022, including patients discharged from the hospital with a primary diagnosis of asthma and COPD to examine the role of remote patient monitoring using respiratory inhaler sensors on chronic respiratory disease management and adherence of individuals over the age of six. 
 
In the special projects category, St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center® won the Continuous Learning Award for Strolling Toward Recovery: An Early Ambulation Initiative. Catholic Health’s Emergency Department Service Line won Best System Transformation Project for Emergency Medicine Monoclonal Antibody Administration Program during COVID-19. Good Samaritan Hospital won the first-ever High Reliability Bullseye Award for its submission Hat Trick! Cross-Training ICU RNs Achieves the IHI Triple Aim.   
 
In the individual award categories, St. Joseph Hospital critical care nurse Kaci Snidersich won the Patient Safety Hero award, St. Charles labor and delivery nurse Elizabeth Hammer was the Golden Key Award Acute Winner and Good Shepherd Hospice nurse manager Karen Costello was the Golden Key Award Continuing Care Winner.  
 
“We’re proud to celebrate and recognize the individuals playing a leading role in promoting quality of care improvements throughout our system,” said Catholic Health Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Jason Golbin, DO, MBA. “Through efforts such as these, together we’re fulfilling our commitment to provide exceptional care for every patient, every encounter, every time.”
 
Learn more about the quality and safety initiatives in place at Catholic Health.