I am very pleased to announce that, at a ceremony last night, UTMB was named a winner of the prestigious 2018 Vizient Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD, Quality Leadership Award. We are one of 11 academic health science centers in the U.S. to be honored.
This marks the second year in a row that our university has received this national recognition for providing superior patient care in our hospitals, as measured by the Vizient Quality and Accountability Study. This is an outstanding accomplishment and a testament to the value UTMB provides to those we serve.
More details on the Birnbaum award and UTMB’s ranking can be found at https://www.utmb.edu/newsroom/article11939.aspx.
Additional good news: our performance in our ambulatory clinics improved significantly, as measured by Vizient. In 2017, our clinics ranked 42nd in the ambulatory study. This year, they ranked 12th and achieved four-star performance—demonstrating the tremendous work Health System leaders, faculty and staff have done to ensure the highest quality care for all patients.
I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to our Best Care initiative, which embodies our commitment to providing the best care to every patient, every time.
While Vizient measures clinical performance, it takes everyone throughout UTMB—faculty, advanced practice providers, nurses, administrators and employees in support roles—to make Best Care a reality for our patients.
I want to especially recognize hospital and clinics leadership for their work on the Best Care initiative. In particular, Donna Sollenberger, executive vice president and CEO of our Health System; Dr. Gulshan Sharma, vice president and chief medical and clinical innovation officer; Ann O’Connell, vice president for ambulatory operations; and Dr. Rex McCallum, vice president and chief physician executive, have championed the effort since it began, providing visionary leadership and inspirational guidance all along the way.
This is a proud moment for our institution. Thank you all for making it possible.