Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Celebrating Outstanding Achievements in Quality

Charleston Area Medical Center Health System is a 2015 recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award—the only health care organization among this year’s winners. Four hospitals are part of CAMC, which is the largest nonprofit hospital system in West Virginia, as well as the third largest private employer in the state. CAMC consistently ranks in the top decile on quality-reporting measures. For example, overall mortality is at 0.6 percent for the past three years, better than the top decile. And medication reconciliation is 100 percent for inpatients and outpatients. Says CEO David Ramsey, “Besides providing benchmark quality, we have proven that improving quality and our process lowers cost.” The Baldrige Award is considered the highest honor for innovation and performance for U.S. organizations. Three awards may be given annually in six categories: manufacturing, service, small business, education, health care and nonprofit.

For more information about CAMC, contact Brenda Grant, chief strategy office and corporate director of planning, at brenda.grant@camc.org.