Keeping patients safe, providing quality care, and improving health are the heart of everything hospitals and health systems do.
Rick Pollack
President and CEO, American Hospital Association
Every day in every hospital and health system across America, dedicated care teams strive to deliver safe, high-quality care to every patient, continually identifying what drives better health outcomes and then implementing changes to improve patient care.
The data prove that hospitals have made meaningful progress in delivering safe, high-quality care. Despite being sicker with more complex medical conditions, hospitalized patients in the first quarter of 2024 were over 20% more likely to survive a life-threatening illness than they were in previous years, according to a report released by Vizient and the American Hospital Association.
Between April 2023 and March 2024, an estimated 200,000 more hospitalized Americans survived conditions they wouldn’t have just five years ago. Those numbers represent real people — grandparents, siblings, children, neighbors, and friends who today have a second chance at life.
Not only have many other hospital measures of patient safety improved compared to pre-pandemic levels, but more patients are being screened for cancer than ever before. Preventative screenings for breast, colorectal, and cervical cancer have increased by as much as 80% over the last five years. This is critically important since cancer diagnoses among young people are rising, and earlier prevention of cancer often means it is more treatable.
Improving patient safety and care
Hospitals are not resting on their laurels but are on a continuous journey to innovate and improve patient and staff experience. Here are a few examples among many happening every day in communities across the nation:
- MUSC Health in South Carolina embraces the use of telehealth to extend quality care to more patients, many in rural areas. By adopting a virtual-first strategy, physicians and specialty providers see patients within days instead of weeks, reducing care disparities and improving outcomes.
- Sanford Health in South Dakota fosters a culture of safety by making sure that all staff are empowered to ensure safety, regardless of whether they provide direct care to patients. Standardized training for every single employee equips staff with a shared language and commitment to improvement and progress every day.
- Valleywise Health in Arizona distributes free bicycle helmets at community and school events focusing on health and safety. Valleywise offers a proactive health measure aimed at preventing head injuries. In light of serious injuries from bicycle accidents, including a significant number of pediatric patients arriving in the emergency department, Valleywise educated children and their families about preventing injuries and riding safely.
Keeping patients safe, providing quality care, and improving health are at the heart of everything hospitals and health systems do. Improvement is a journey that will continue for years to come by building on successful healthcare programming that makes a real, impactful difference in the lives of patients.
About the American Hospital Association
The American Hospital Association (AHA) is a not-for-profit association of healthcare provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA advocates on behalf of our nearly 5,000 member hospitals, health systems, and other healthcare organizations; our clinician partners, including more than 270,000 affiliated physicians, 2 million nurses, and other caregivers; and the 43,000 healthcare leaders who belong to our professional membership groups. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides insight and education for healthcare leaders and is a source of information on healthcare issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org.
