YRMC honored with Performance Excellence Award
Yuma Regional Medical Center is the recipient of the 2018 Performance Excellence Program Pioneer Award for Excellence awarded by the Southwest Alliance for Excellence.
Last year YRMC received the Level 3 Achievement Award, and this year the hospital improved to meet the requirements of the Level 4 Pioneer Award for Excellence. The award will be presented at a banquet to be held in Mesa on Feb. 6.
The annual Performance Excellence Program recognizes organizations for excellence in quality, performance and outcomes. The program, modeled after the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, provides an opportunity for recognition and valuable feedback on where an organization is positioned on the quality continuum.
There are four tiered levels of awards: Level 1 — Interest; Level 2 — Commitment; Level 3 — Achievement; and Level 4 — Excellence.
“SWAE is proud to continue empowering organizations to pursue performance excellence, improve outcomes and contribute to the economic strength of their community and state. This evaluation process and feedback is one of the best methodologies available to develop a higher level of organizational performance,” Karen Shepard, SWAE executive director, said.
In October, the alliance visited YRMC, a 406-bed, not-for-profit hospital with more than 2,000 employees, 500 physicians and hundreds of volunteers. Over three-and-a-half days, the five-member team spoke to employees at all locations and levels, except those in leadership positions.
They wanted to know how well YRMC took care of its staff, how well it works with the community and vendors, whether it’s showing improved outcomes, and even how “green” it is by assessing its environmental practices.
The team talked to cafeteria workers, housekeepers, aides, nurses, information technology crews, engineers, etc., to see how well they knew their organization. The team found employees were “well versed and knew everything that is happening,” according to Deborah Aders, chief nursing officer and vice president of patient care services.
The team evaluated leadership, strategies, operations and results by looking at outcomes involving processes, customers, workforce, governance, finances, among other criteria.
Aders is proud of the award and credits the YRMC employees. “You can’t do this without the staff,” she said.
Dr. Robert Trenschel, president and chief executive officer, pointed to the importance of an external evaluation. “We all think we’re doing a great job. An independent third party can tell us how we’re doing compared to other organizations,” he said.
And it’s not just about having one great day and “prepping for the test,” Trenschel added. “Every day we have to be ready.”
He noted that the award “speaks about the organization’s effectiveness and efficiencies, not just in healthcare, but as an organization. Are you meeting the needs of the community, have you fulfilled your mission? How reliable are you? How consistent? Not just with patients, but with everything, with billing, the turnaround time for labs for physicians.”
The Level 4 award itself has four levels: Pinnacle, Pioneer or Category in Excellence Award. YRMC needs one more level to qualify for the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
However, Aders said, “it’s not just about the award. It’s about the journey for excellence.”
The next step is to see if the hospital can sustain this level of “excellence” over time. Aders pointed out that it’s about maintaining and growing, which requires adapting as needed “and learning about ourselves and our staff, always learning.”
Trenschel also noted it’s about being open to feedback. “We have to listen to our staff. We may not like it or agree, but we need to listen and adjust. When we find areas we can improve, we welcome that. If we don’t see it, tell us. What do we need to do to adapt and improve?”