HIMSS this month announced another round of winners for its HIMSS Davies Award of Excellence, which recognizes health systems for their innovative applications of information and technology for improved care delivery, better health outcomes and enhanced patient experience.

The recipients follow the first batch of Davies awardees from HIMSS, parent company of Healthcare IT News, which were announced in August.

Intermountain Health

Intermountain Health – which also recently became the first triple Stage 7 organization – was recognized in September with its Davies Award for its leading-edge, data-driven work tackling COPD, chronic kidney disease and multimodal pain management. Among its case studies showcasing its evidence-based quality improvement efforts:

• Multimodal Pain Management: A Successful Approach to System Initiatives by Targeting Different Aspects of Opioid Reduction

• Use of AI-enhanced data analysis to identify persons at risk of chronic kidney disease, assist in delivery of kidney-protective therapeutics and reduce hospitalizations

• Implementation of a Pulmonary Disease Navigator Program for 30-day Chronic Lung Disease Readmission Reduction

Dr. Farukh Usmani, medical director of digital technology services at Intermountain, said the award is "true testament to teamwork, leadership, collaboration, and leveraging informatics and information technology. This teamwork allowed us to remarkably improve processes and the quality of care we provide our patients and communities, helping them achieve better outcomes through the effective and efficient use of technology."

Northern Light Health

This month, Brewer, Maine-based Northern Light Health, with 10 hospitals and 37 primary care locations across the state, earned its second Davies Award for its analytics-driven efforts to boost patient engagement and provider experience and improve health outcomes. Its case studies showed its commitment to EHR optimization and patient safety:

• Monoclonal Antibodies: A Reduction in Hospital Admissions in COVID-19 Therapy Northern Light Health

• Reducing Medication Errors by Revamping mCDS Alerting: The Goldilocks Principle

• Comprehensive and Standardized Cardiovascular Care Leads to Decreased Readmissions

"Receiving the HIMSS Davies Award is a significant accomplishment for any organization, but to receive it twice is quite an honor," said April Giard, Northern Light's chief digital & innovation officer. "I am so proud of the culture we’ve been able to develop at Northern Light Health that allows for a true partnership between our IT, informatics, and clinical teams in order to provide high quality patient care."

University of Missouri Health Care

University of Missouri Health Care, meanwhile, was recognized in September as one of just four organizations to be recognized with a third Davies Award. MU Health Care's case studies focused on reducing unnecessary transfers to the pediatric ICU, avoiding hospital associated pressure injuries and more. They are:

• Advancements in Pediatric Early Warning Score Alerting

• Reducing Hospital Acquired Pressure Injuries

• Standardizing the Elective Surgery Process

"Delivering on our mission of saving and improving lives is a total team effort," said Deb Dow, chief information officer at MU Health Care, whose IT services are led by the public-private TIGER Institute for Health Innovation. "This award recognizes our healthcare professionals that are turning data into action to drive improvement in the delivery of care."

Mike Miliard is executive editor of Healthcare IT News
Email the writer: mike.miliard@himssmedia.com
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS publication.