Washington D.C. -- Five U.S. hospitals were recognized for their leadership and innovation in quality, safety and commitment to patient care. The 2007 American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize® was awarded to Columbus Regional Hospital in Columbus, Ind., which will receive $75,000. Columbus Regional, a regional referral hospital serving multiple counties in southeastern Indiana, was selected by a multi-disciplinary committee of health care quality and patient safety experts based on its culture of quality and efforts to achieve the Institute of Medicine's six quality aims for hospitals. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City were honored as finalists and will each receive $12,500. Amarillo VA Health Care System in Amarillo, Texas and McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence, S.C. received Citations of Merit.

The American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize is presented annually to honor leadership and innovation in quality, safety and commitment in patient care. The prize is supported by grants from the McKesson Foundation and McKesson Corporation. The criteria for the 2007 award include the demonstration of an organizational commitment to achieving the Institute of Medicine's six quality aims - safety, patient-centeredness, effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness and equity. One goal of the award is to honor organizations that have made successful quality improvements and that offer models that can be replicated by others in the hospital field. Relevant learnings and key elements for achieving progress that have stood out among the current and past honorees include recognizing that organizational leadership is critical, that what is measured is what gets attention and that patient and family involvement is integral to quality improvements.

"Each hospital recognized today has taken a slightly different path in its efforts to improve quality and patient care," said Rich Umbdenstock, AHA President and CEO. "But each has successfully created a new culture - one based on trust, understanding and openness. That culture is absolutely essential in the continuous process of change that is necessary to ensuring that care is always the safest and of the highest quality it can possibly be."

"We're pleased to have the opportunity to recognize and support the important efforts hospitals across the nation are making to improve patient safety," said John H. Hammergren, Chairman and CEO of McKesson Corporation. "We hope the Quest for Quality Prize will help encourage health care institutions to more quickly adopt the Institute of Medicine's six quality aims."

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