CF Foundation Care Centers Honored at Conference

November 2, 2010

For Cystic Fibrosis Foundation care center staff, supporting the CF community goes beyond providing specialized medical care.

At this year’s North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference, exceptional care centers were honored for their roles in sustaining quality improvement work that led to better health outcomes for people with CF.

“I am pleased to acknowledge the tremendous contributions of these care centers,” said Bruce C. Marshall, M.D., CF Foundation vice president of clinical affairs. “Through their unwavering commitment to quality improvement, our care center staff are truly champions for all individuals and families affected by cystic fibrosis.”

Quality Improvement Awards

The following care centers were honored with a 2009 – 2010 Quality Care Award, which recognizes sustained quality improvement work that improves patient outcomes:

• Arkansas Children’s Hospital & University of Arkansas Medical Center
• Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, Calif.
• Emory University
• Johns Hopkins University
• Minnesota Cystic Fibrosis Center
• University of Nebraska Medical Center
• University Hospitals of Cleveland/Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital
• Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin

Recipients of the award were chosen by the CF Foundation Center Committee from the care centers visited during fall 2009 and spring 2010. Centers that received the honor excelled at meeting the following quality improvement performance standards:

• Actively uses clinical outcomes data to identify opportunities for improvement and documents results of improvement efforts;
• Aligns improvement efforts to result in measurable improvement in important clinical outcomes;
• Consistently and actively involves patients and families in identifying, designing, and/or implementing improvement efforts;
• Employs innovative strategies to improve care processes and outcomes; and
• Implements system changes that result in high reliability of care processes.

The Foundation instituted the Quality Care Awards in 2008.

Additional Information

• Learn more about quality improvement in CF care.
• Find a care center near you.