WSHA’s Safety and Quality work positions members to best serve communities

March 21, 2019

WSHA strives to be a trusted voice and indispensable resource to our members — leading, challenging and assisting Washington hospitals in improving the health outcomes of their communities. As the senior vice president of safety and quality, I am particularly passionate about ensuring that WSHA members are aware of and have access to the safety and quality services we offer, enabling them to get the most out of their membership.

I am also committed to working with members to provide customized programs and opportunities to share best practices. It is my pleasure to share that, in response to feedback from members, we have restructured the Safety and Quality training events. Currently, we are piloting a new format for quarterly Safety and Quality Learning Collaboratives. These larger events will be in-person, conference-style trainings featuring keynote speakers and breakout sessions. To offset the reduction of in-person events, supplemental shorter Learning Collaborative webinars are being offered weekly. It is my hope that this change will allow members to prioritize coming together to improve safety and quality at a regional level, while also being cognizant of the time constraints of being a leader in the health care industry.

WSHA Learning Collaboratives are available to WSHA hospitals and health systems, their staff and other partners and stakeholders. I invite you to extend this invitation to your program providers, leaders and staff involved with relevant work areas. The first quarterly Learning Collaborative conference is currently taking place at Sea-Tac airport. Attendees are addressing the relationship between behavioral health care, health equity and stewardship of opioids and antibiotics, as well as considering how patient and family engagement relates to readmission rates. Webinar registration is also available online.

At WSHA, we strongly believe in the positive impact of collaboration and are constantly exploring opportunities to share best practices and spread awareness of safety initiatives. It is my pleasure to share the Northwest Safety and Quality Partnership as a successful result of this belief. In the fall of 2018, WSHA and the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems combined their respective quality and safety programs into a single program serving both states. This model will create greater regional synergy, providing new opportunities for collaboration and shared learnings. Oregon hospitals are currently being onboarded to the existing quality initiatives; more than 60 percent of Oregon hospitals are in the planning stages for participation and 30 percent are already participating in at least one program. Oregon leadership have also been incorporated into a regional Quality and Safety Steering Committee and are participating in WSHA’s Executive Safety Academy and CEO and Trustee Quality and Safety Summit. WSHA members can expect to enjoy more and more opportunities to collaborate with Oregon hospitals in the upcoming year!

As a member of WSHA’s senior leadership team, I have witnessed how dedicated our members are to providing their communities with the best possible quality of health care. I firmly believe in WSHA’s mission to advocate for and provide value to our members in achieving their missions. I encourage our members to take full advantage of the broad spectrum of expert safety and quality services available through WSHA.

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