Progress West Hospital honored for maternal health innovation

Progress West Hospital in O’Fallon, Mo., has been honored with the Missouri Hospital Association’s Aim for Excellence Award for efforts to improve care for expecting mothers through their Maternal Hypertension Collaborative. Established in 2016, the Aim for Excellence Award recognizes hospital innovation that improves patient outcomes. Progress West Hospital received the award on Nov. 14 at MHA’s 102nd Annual Convention in Kansas City, Mo.

“Maternal health improvement is a priority for hospitals and other stakeholders, as Missouri’s rate of maternal mortality and long-term harm, are in the bottom fifth of states,” said Jon D. Doolittle, MHA President and CEO. “Identifying systems to better address and mitigate problems like high blood pressure during pregnancy are important to delivering better health outcomes.”

Despite maternal hypertension’s leading role in significant maternal mortality and morbidity, only about half of pregnant women in Missouri presenting with sustained high blood pressure levels receive care within the recommended 60 minutes. 

Progress West Hospital built on BJC HealthCare’s Maternal Hypertension Collaborative to establish a hospital-specific collaborative designed around visual process improvement reminders, provider engagement and medical record notations. 

“Ultimately, the success of the project is attributed to creating a culture of multidisciplinary collaboration and teamwork,” said Heather Decker, Program Manager of Women and Infants at Progress West Hospital. “Keeping the patient at the center of everything we do ensures that we give care that is not only  safe, but extraordinary.”

The hospital’s goal for severe hypertension care was to achieve 90% compliance with best practices. After implementing the six-step process — including K-card visualization of process and progress — the team achieved nearly 100% compliance with treatment goals. 

A video honoring Progress West Hospital is available here.