--Only Healthcare System in Maryland To Achieve the Prestigious Award—

GBMC HealthCare has become the first healthcare system in Maryland to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest presidential honor for performance excellence. The Baldrige criteria are accepted around the world across all industries as the gold standard of quality.

GBMC HealthCare was one of only five organizations nationwide to receive the award in 2020 and one of only 29 healthcare recipients in two decades of the award’s history.

According to Baldrige examiners, some of GBMC HealthCare’s accomplishments are as follows:

• GBMC’s Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and System (HCAHPS) rating for communication of care after discharge is approaching benchmark performance established by the Health Services Cost Review Commission, an independent state agency.
• Through its Strategic Planning Process, GBMC has identified key changes such as expansion of behavioral health services within its primary care offices and emergency department, provision of at-home outpatient rehabilitative services and for its skilled nursing facility, and the addition of a patient-centered medical home through a new office in its core market.
• GBMC supports its nursing workforce through multiple recognition and educational programs such as the Art of Nursing awards, the Nurse Residency Program, and the Center for Nursing Excellence. The Nurse Residency Program is one of only 61 worldwide to achieve accreditation with distinction, the highest level of recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. GBMC requires every nurse resident to fully implement an evidence-based practice project for graduation. Since 2017, first-year turnover for nurses decreased from about 27% to less than 15%, achieving performance in the top 10% of national hospitals.

GBMC HealthCare President and CEO John B. Chessare, MD, MPH, received a phone call from U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross with news of the achievement. "This recognition is the result of our embracement of systems thinking and the expertise, commitment, and hard work of our physicians, nurses, other clinicians, support staff and volunteers.” said Dr. Chessare. “Achievement of the Baldrige National Quality Award is a reflection of our continued pursuit of GBMC HealthCare’s vision, ‘To every patient, every time, we will provide the care that we would want for our own loved ones.’ I am incredibly proud of our team for achieving this national recognition."

During a virtual site visit, GBMC HealthCare was rigorously evaluated in seven areas defined by the Baldrige Excellence Framework. A team of examiners met with hundreds of members of the GBMC HealthCare workforce to better understand how the organization is using continuous improvement to provide value for its patients.

"This is a win for our community,” said Carolyn L. Candiello, vice president of quality and patient safety for GBMC HealthCare. “It’s a testament to how well we are assessing and responding to the needs of the people we serve – whether in elder care, substance abuse, obesity and diabetes, and so much more. Patients and their families can feel confident in the safe, high-quality, compassionate care they will receive at GBMC HealthCare, and assured that we are always working toward excellence.”

The Baldrige criteria evaluate how organizations focus on patient engagement, contribute to the social and economic sustainability of their community, and lead with the company’s mission.

“The Baldrige award is further endorsement that our work makes a meaningful difference in the lives of those we have the privilege to serve, especially the most vulnerable members of our community,” said Catherine Y. Hamel, president of Gilchrist and executive vice president of continuing care for GBMC HealthCare. “The disciplined approach of the Baldrige criteria helped us create reliable systems with reliable outcomes. We are grateful for this direction and proud of our teams for adhering to these practices every day.”

“I congratulate these five U.S. organizations for committing themselves to performance standards that have demonstrable positive effects on the American business community,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “Applying the Baldrige Criteria yields practical value to an organization in cost savings, customer satisfaction and financial gain while also producing higher revenue, growth and efficiency for improved competitiveness and performance.”

“We’ve built a true system of care for our patients and their families and are committed to holding ourselves accountable for their health and well-being,” said JoAnn Z. Ioannou, DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, executive vice president of hospital operations and chief nursing officer for GBMC HealthCare. “The Baldrige award is a reflection of that commitment to organizational excellence and marks GBMC HealthCare as a best-in-class destination for patients as well as clinicians.”

Harold J. Tucker, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer of GBMC HealthCare and president of GBMC Health Partners says the Baldrige award is evidence of how well-integrated care delivery is across all GBMC disciplines and practices. “We’ve standardized our processes – in decision making, performance improvement, and the way we measure quality outcomes. It’s all resulted in a better care experience, including more efficiency and reliability for our patients.”

The Baldrige National Quality Award is named for Malcolm Baldrige, who served as the U.S. Secretary of Commerce from 1981 to 1987. It was established by Congress in 1987 to enhance the competitiveness and performance of U.S. businesses. Thousands of organizations worldwide use the Baldrige criteria to guide their operations, improve performance, and achieve sustainable results.

The 2020 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award winners will be showcased at the Quest for Excellence Conference in April 2021. During the virtual conference, award recipients will share best practices, which will be featured in both live and on-demand sessions. For more information about the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, including profiles of the five 2020 Baldrige Award recipients, visit here.

The GBMC HealthCare system includes Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC), a 342-bed medical non-profit hospital, which handles more than 23,000 admissions and 52,000 emergency room visits annually; GBMC Health Partners, a collective of more than 300 primary care providers, specialists, advanced practice clinicians, and hundreds of support staff; and Gilchrist, Maryland’s largest eldercare company, which includes Gilchrist hospice, offering both in-home and inpatient care, with 74 beds split among 3 inpatient units. It provides medical care, grief counseling, and bereavement services to patients and their families at every stage of serious illness.