Northwell Health’s Quest for Quality

Northwell Health’s Quest for Quality
Lessons Learned from the 2018 Quest for Quality Winner
 

Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019

1 - 2 p.m. Eastern; noon - 1 p.m. Central; 10 - 11 a.m. Pacific

Northwell Health was the winner of the 2018 American Hospital Association (AHA) Quest for Quality Prize, sponsored by RL Solutions. Northwell is a large health system that stretches across metropolitan New York, and the communities it serves are diverse and complex. For example, more than 160 languages are spoken in the communities served by Northwell’s Forest Hill Hospital in Queens, N.Y.

Despite its size, Northwell is able to maintain a culture that encourages staff members of all types to help solve the health and social challenges of its wide-ranging population. In fact, Northwell created the position of chief diversity and inclusion officer to champion these efforts and organize community outreach and participation across the system.

This session will highlight several of the initiatives and quality pursuits that earned Northwell Health the AHA Quest for Quality Prize. To spark creativity and innovation, for instance, one strategy has been a “shark tank”-like annual competition where staff members submit ideas that are reviewed by outside business advisors. Also learn how the health system ensures data and information on quality improvement initiatives are delivered down to the unit level wherever possible, and how it uses collaborative councils to help pick projects that are aligned with system-wide initiatives, to avoid overlap and create efficiencies.