MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital recently earned the Platinum Award, the highest level of achievement of the Maryland Performance Excellence Award (MPEA), the Maryland state equivalent of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. On a national level, the prestigious Baldrige award is presented to organizations that demonstrate highest quality in all aspects of its business.
“Earning the Platinum Award this year validates the continued efforts to improve quality and performance and become a high reliability organization. I am proud of all our medical staff and others on the team who dedicate themselves daily to this pursuit and to the community we serve,” said MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital President and Senior Vice President, MedStar Health Christine Wray.
“Last year the hospital earned the Gold Award, so earning the Platinum Award this year is a testament to the progress made on the pathway toward excellence. We will continue to champion performance excellence to better meet the needs of our community and strive to be a leader in innovative health care,” Wray said.
As part of the extensive review process for the award, the MPEA Committee recently conducted an on-site visit meeting with administrators, Board members, department leaders, physicians and associates from throughout the hospital to assess MedStar St. Mary’s qualities and capabilities.
“The review process is thorough and intensive,” said MaryLou Watson, vice president nursing. “The process encompasses all facets of the hospital, and while the committee learns about us, we learn further about ourselves and ways in which we can better our processes,” Watson said.
Hospital leaders recently received the award at a banquet in Linthicum, Md., where Chief Operating Officer and Chief Medical Officer, Stephen T. Michaels, MD, gave a presentation on what it takes to stay on the Baldrige journey striving to be a high reliability organization, and Joan Gelrud, vice president, participated in a panel discussion with three other hospital leaders of MPEA applicants.