Taffy Arias, CEO at Gila Regional, accepting the HealthInsight Quality AwardSeptember 27, 2017 Albuquerque—Five New Mexico hospitals are being recognized today for their high performance on quality of care outcome measures and patient satisfaction.

The HealthInsight Quality Award Program promotes transparency in health care. Since 2004, the program has recognized nursing homes, hospitals, home health agencies and outpatient medical practices and clinics in Utah and Nevada. This year, HealthInsight New Mexico and the New Mexico Hospital Association partnered to launch the program in our state. The inaugural hospital awards were presented at the New Mexico Hospital Association's 72nd Annual Meeting, which began today in Albuquerque.

The 2017 award recipients are:

• Gila Regional Medical Center – Silver City
• Holy Cross Hospital – Taos
• Lea Regional Medical Center – Hobbs
• Presbyterian Española Hospital – Española
• University of New Mexico Sandoval Regional Medical Center – Rio Rancho

HealthInsight Quality Award hospital recipients were selected based on their national rankings in four categories: healthcare-associated infections; the results of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey, which is a national survey of patients' experience of hospital care; 30-day hospital-wide readmissions; and mortality measures. The individual measure ranks were combined into a single weighted composite ranking. Hospitals at or above the 75th percentile nationally on this combined ranking received the award.

In addition to the awards, two hospitals were recognized with HCAHPS Performance Recognition Certificates and 13 hospitals received Certificates for Excellence in Quality Improvement.

The 2017 HCAHPS Performance Recognition Certificate recipients are:

• Guadalupe County Hospital – Santa Rosa
• Lovelace Westside Hospital – Albuquerque

HCAHPS certificates were awarded to hospitals that demonstrate high-quality performance for providing patients with an excellent experience of hospital care. Hospitals in this category ranked at or above the 75th percentile nationally on the HCAHPS survey.

The 2017 Excellence in Quality Improvement Certificate recipients are:

• Acoma-Cañoncito-Laguna Hospital Service Unit – Acoma
• CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center – Santa Fe
• Lea Regional Medical Center – Hobbs
• Memorial Medical Center – Las Cruces
• Mimbres Memorial Hospital – Deming
• Nor-Lea General Hospital – Lovington
• Presbyterian Hospital – Albuquerque
• Presbyterian Hospitals - Main, Kaseman, Rust – Albuquerque, Rio Rancho
• Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services – Gallup
• San Juan Regional Medical Center (4 total) – Farmington

Excellence in Quality Improvement certificates were awarded based on hospital applications describing their improvement efforts related to a nationally recognized quality measure and data submission.

"We at HealthInsight are excited to recognize the performance of these hospitals," said Margy Wienbar, HealthInsight New Mexico executive director. "They are a mix of large and small, urban and rural. The awards celebrate the commitment of leaders and staff to improving patient safety, patient experience and quality of care. This achievement requires dedication to quality and constant concern for the people cared for in these hospital."

The HealthInsight Quality Award Program was launched in September 2004 to promote transparency in health care. According to the Institute of Medicine, transparency in health care is defined as a system that is "accountable to the public, works openly, makes results known, and builds trust through disclosure." By using available quality data to identify high-performing providers and publicizing the results, HealthInsight aims to help providers improve health care and help patients become more active and informed participants in that care.

For more information on how a facility compares to others in the country, visit healthinsight.org. More hospital quality data are available by visiting medicare.gov or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

HealthInsight is a nonprofit, community-based health care organization based in Salt Lake City, Utah, with offices in Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Utah and works to improve health and health care for patients and providers. The New Mexico Hospital Association is the state professional trade association for hospitals and represents its membership on legislative, regulatory and public policy issues. NMHA works with its members and others to improve the health status of the citizens of New Mexico.