The Children’s Hospital of Michigan Awarded the Eisenberg Award as Part of the I-PASS Study Group Prestigious Award Recognizes Contributions to Improving Patient Safety

The Children’s Hospital of Michigan DMC as part of a patient safety research group, The I-PASS Study Group, received the prestigious 2016 John M. Eisenberg Award for Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality. The award is presented annually by The Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum (NQF), two leading organizations that set standards in patient care.

The Children’s Hospital of Michigan participates in the I-PASS Mentored Implementation Program as part of the I-PASS Study Group, which represents more than 50 hospitals from across North America dedicated to improving patient safety by standardizing provider communication during patient handoffs to reduce miscommunication that can lead to harmful medical errors. The name I-PASS is a mnemonic or prompt used to remember a structured format for communication during a patient hand-off, with each letter in the mnemonic representing important clinical information. The I-PASS Study Group’s initial research study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that injuries due to medical errors fell 30 percent across nine hospitals following implementation of I-PASS.

The John M. Eisenberg Award is a competitive award given annually by the Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum since 2002 to recognize outstanding efforts in improving patient safety on three levels: Individual Achievement, Local Level Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality, and National Level Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality. The I-PASS Study Group won the National Level Award, given for an initiative that extends beyond local areas to being implemented across the country to achieve national impact.

Lara Kothari, M.D.

“This award is an incredible honor and recognizes the combined efforts of many here at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan, including pediatric residents, fellows and faculty who participate in the I-PASS effort every day to reduce medical errors and enhance patient safety,” says Lara Kothari, M.D., Children’s Hospital of Michigan Site Director for the I-PASS Mentored Implementation Project and Associate Pediatric Residency Program Director for the Children’s Hospital of Michigan DMC/Wayne State University School of Medicine. “The Eisenberg Award for Innovation represents the highest patient safety and quality award in the country and we are excited to be recognized for our role in this innovative program to make our hospital safer for our patients.”  

Dr. Rudolph P. Valentini

The Children’s Hospital of Michigan Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Rudolph P. Valentini adds, “In an era when patients are often seen by more than one doctor in a 24 hour period, the I-PASS program is a valuable tool to help physicians communicate effectively amongst each other when handing off a patient- thereby resulting in early recognition of a change in clinical status and timely treatment if needed for our sickest patients .”

For further information on the Joint Commission announcement visit  https://www.jointcommission.org/eisenberg_award_recipients_announced/