Parkland Health has been honored with the prestigious John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award in the Local Level Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality category. The Eisenberg Awards recognize significant achievements in improving patient safety and healthcare quality through innovative and measurable approaches.
Parkland received the award for its comprehensive program designed to identify and prevent missed opportunities for diagnosis. The program, which began by tracking delayed imaging findings, evolved to manage six high-risk diagnostic scenarios through a centralized Safety Net Surveillance team within Parkland’s Digital Health Center. Key innovations included a population health management tool, bilingual staff trained in motivational interviewing, the integration of social workers, and the development of an AI language model, in collaboration with the Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation, that achieved 97.2% accuracy in identifying delayed imaging findings.
Parkland’s impactful efforts have led to significant improvements in patient care, including:
- Completion of recommended follow-up studies in 91% of patients with abnormal imaging, revealing cancer in 4.3% of completed cases and a need for surgical intervention in 3%. These timely follow-ups have potentially saved lives by identifying critical issues that might have been delayed or overlooked.
- A greater than 54% improvement in obtaining follow-up specialty care for patients with new cancer diagnoses.
- A reduction in delays in overdue imaging surveillance findings from 17% to 9%.
- An improvement in follow-up rates for abnormal mammograms from 83% to 87%.
- A 27% reduction in gaps for patients with abnormal tumor marker studies.
“I am immensely proud of our Digital Health Center team's achievement in establishing this program to combat one of healthcare's most prevalent and life-threatening challenges,” said Brett Moran, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Health Officer at Parkland. “Their work is making a direct impact on patient survival each day. Parkland is deeply honored to receive recognition from The Joint Commission and the Eisenberg Award selection panel."
The Eisenberg Awards, launched in 2002, commemorate the legacy of Dr. John M. Eisenberg, a renowned advocate for healthcare quality improvement and a founding member of the National Quality Forum (NQF). Parkland Health joins a distinguished group of healthcare organizations and leaders who have made significant advancements in patient care.
To learn more about the achievements and strategies of each awardee and the history of the program, visit The Joint Commission and NQF websites.
