Geisinger hospitals recognized for maternal healthcare
DANVILLE, Pa. — Five Geisinger hospitals were recipients of the Pennsylvania Perinatal Quality Collaborative (PA PQC) inaugural Designations Awards.
The awards, presented May 22 at a ceremony in Harrisburg, recognize hospitals for establishing multidisciplinary teams that have demonstrated improvements in maternal and newborn care by sharing best practices in their hospital and community.
Hospitals could earn a designation for each 2023-24 PA PQC initiative in which they actively participated, including: the availaibility of immediate postpartum long-acting reversible contraception (IPLARC); maternal substance use disorders (SUD) identification and treatment; and standardizing the treatment of the substance exposed newborn (SEN) to reduce the need for drug therapy. The awards are based on meeting quality improvement milestone criteria from April 2023 through March 2024.
“These recognitions are a reflection of the focus that our Obstetric and Pediatric teams place on high quality and equitable care across the Geisinger system,” said Sandra Culbertson, M.D, chair of Geisinger’s Women and Children’s Institute. “Responding to the opioid crisis and providing easy access to effective contraception are priorities that reflect the needs of families in our communities.”
Geisinger Medical Center earned a silver designation to recognize its work in the issue areas of SUD focusing on health equity and a bronze designation in IPLARC.
Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital earned a gold designation in SEN, a silver designation in SUD with a health equity focus, and a bronze designation in IPLARC.
Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center earned a gold designation to recognize its work in the issue areas of SUD and a bronze designation in IPLARC.
Geisinger Lewistown Hospital earned a silver designation in SEN with a patient voice focus, a silver designation in SUD with a health equity focus, and a bronze IPLARC designation.
Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton earned a silver designation to recognize its work in the issue areas of SUD focusing on health equity and a bronze designation in IPLARC.
A gold designation signifies a hospital’s proven commitment to health equity and patient voice in their quality improvement work. A silver designation signifies the hospital’s proven commitment to incorporating health equity OR patient voice into its quality improvement work. A bronze designation signifies the hospital met the required quality improvement submission criteria for at least two of the four quarters.
In Pennsylvania, perinatal health issues persist, including racial and ethnic disparities in maternal and neonatal outcomes, higher than average maternal sepsis rates, and drug overdose deaths during pregnancy and postpartum. The PA PQC addresses these challenges through various initiatives, including Maternal Opioid Use Disorder, Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, Maternal Sepsis, and Safe Sleep. Through collaborative efforts, the PA PQC aims to improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes across the state.
“All Geisinger delivery hospitals have taken an active role in the PA PQC since its inception in 2019. The work is conducted by hospital staff (nurses, care managers and providers) who have shown tremendous dedication to improving care for mothers and babies,” said James Cook, M.D., Geisinger director of newborn services and co-chair on the PA PQC for pediatrics. “This work has been rewarded by the PA PQC with funds to purchase equipment and provide further education to our staff.
“Future PA PQC initiatives for 2024-25 will include a focus on reducing the incidence of both maternal sepsis and sudden unexpected infant death across the region,” Dr. Cook added.
The PA PQC is administered by the Jewish Healthcare Foundation and WHAMglobal, and it is affiliated with the Northeastern PA PQC (NEPaPQC).
About the Pennsylvania Perinatal Quality Collaborative
The Pennsylvania Perinatal Quality Collaborative (PA PQC) works to reduce maternal mortality and improve care for pregnant and postpartum women and newborns. With 74 birthing sites and over 10 health plans enrolled, the PA PQC represents more than 92 percent of births in Pennsylvania. The PA PQC is administered by the Jewish Healthcare Foundation and WHAMglobal, and it is affiliated with the Northeastern PA PQC (NEPaPQC). For more information, visit papqc.org.
About the Jewish Healthcare Foundation
The Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) and its three operating arms — the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative (PRHI), Health Careers Futures (HCF), and the Women's Health Activist Movement Global (WHAMglobal) — offer a unique brand of activist philanthropy to advance healthcare innovation, advocacy, collaboration, and education in the interest of better population health. For more information, visit jhf.org.
About Geisinger
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the non-profit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 134 care sites - including 10 hospital campuses, and Geisinger Health Plan, with 600,000 members in commercial and government plans. The Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 5,000 medical professionals annually and conducts more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With 26,000 employees, including 1,600 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $14 billion to the state’s economy. On March 31, 2024, Geisinger became the first member of Risant Health, a new nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country. Learn more at geisinger.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
