WASHINGTON—Children's National Medical Center is the recipient of the Academic Pediatric Association's (APA) 2009 Health Care Delivery Award, recognizing the institution's work to advance two nationally benchmarked child health quality measures: immunization compliance rates and preventive care visits.
Annually, the APA competitively selects one national award winner in the healthcare delivery category to recognize innovation, effectiveness, and care excellence in a delivery system that includes medical students and residents. The Goldberg Center for Community Pediatric Health, home to primary care at Children's National, was selected for applying a system the effectively integrated quality improvement methods, information technology, and community partnerships to dramatically improve the compliance rate for immunizations in children ages 19 to 35 month-old age.
Children's initiative resulted in an increase in the percentage of 19 to 35 month-old patients who are up-to-date on targeted immunizations from 75 percent in 2006 to 88 percent in 2008. These dramatic increases now rank the Goldberg Center compliance rates comparable with the top five jurisdictions in the country according to the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. Additionally, for the first time, the District of Columbia as a whole is currently recognized as the urban area with the highest immunization rates for this same patient population.
"We are honored to be recognized for our work improving the quality of care and health outcomes of District of Columbia children," noted Denice Cora-Bramble, MD, MBA, Senior Vice President, Goldberg Center for Community Pediatric Health. "We actively partner with the District's Department of Health, managed care organizations, community organizations, providers, and our colleagues here at Children's in the Child Health Advocacy Institute, to systematically address children's health quality and outcomes. We are pleased to be recognized as leaders in developing and implementing best practices that make a real difference."
The Goldberg Center for Community Pediatric Health is the largest provider of pediatric primary care services in the District of Columbia. Approximately 30,000 patients (ages birth to 21 years old) receive primary care, accounting for 80,000 visits every year. The Goldberg Center provides this care through seven community-based health centers and three mobile medical units.
"This award from the APA highlights our commitment to primary care, a vital part of our mission at Children's National," said Edwin K. Zechman, President and CEO of Children's National. "Dr. Cora-Bramble's leadership of the Goldberg Center had led to our status as a nationally recognized provider of primary care to the children in our community. Children's is a national and international destination for children needing specialty care and we are the largest provider of primary care to children in our local community at the same time. This recognition validates that Children's does all of this – and we do it well."
About Children's National Medical Center
Children's National Medical Center, located in Washington, DC, is a proven leader in the development of innovative new treatments for childhood illness and injury. Children's has been serving the nation's children for more than 135 years. Children's National is proudly ranked among the best pediatric hospitals in America by US News & World Report and the Leapfrog Group. For more information, visit www.childrensnational.org.