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Watauga Medical Center Recognized for High-Value Healthcare by Premier, Inc.

Michael Alkire, Chief Operating Officer for Premier, Angie Hicks, Vice President of Quality for Appalachian Regional Healthcare System, Dr. Lisa Kaufmann, Director of Hospital Medicine Group for Appalachian Regional Healthcare System, and Susan Devore, President & CEO for Premier.

Boone, NC (July 19, 2017) – Watauga Medical Center has been named a finalist for the 2017 QUEST Award for High-value Healthcare from Premier Inc., a leading healthcare improvement company, for providing outstanding patient care.

 
Only 21 hospitals received finalist recognition for achieving top performance in any five of the six areas measured in Premier’s QUEST collaborative, including cost and efficiency, evidence-based care, mortality, safety, patient and family engagement and appropriate hospital use.
 
Watauga Medical Center was honored during Premier’s annual Breakthroughs Conference and Exhibition on June 27, 2017.

 
 
“Watauga Medical Center’s achievements in QUEST reinforces our commitment to reliably deliver the best care experience to the communities we serve,” said Chuck Mantooth, President and CEO of Appalachian Regional Healthcare System. “We’re proud to be named a finalist for the QUEST Award as we continue down our path of improving patient outcomes and community health.”
 
All QUEST hospitals submitting data for October 2015 – September 2016 were eligible for the QUEST Award. Top performance thresholds were established at the top quartile of performance from a baseline period in all measures except cost of care, which was based on top tercile of performance. Top performance methodology for each dimension varied depending on the unique measure calculation and methodology.
 
“QUEST hospitals have set high standards in clinical excellence nationwide,” said Madeleine Biondolillo, vice president, quality and safety. “Together, they have worked to outperform in healthcare. Premier congratulates Watauga Medical Center for their fantastic achievements.”
 
A recipient of The Joint Commission and National Quality Forum’s 2015 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award, QUEST was launched in 2008 to help health systems reliably deliver the most efficient, effective and caring experience for every patient, every single time. Approximately 350 hospitals volunteered to transparently share data and define a common framework with consistent measures that would continually set a top performance goal for both participants and the nation. QUEST participants have prevented more than 198,000 deaths and reduced healthcare spending by more than $17 billion.
 
Building on the legacy of QUEST, QUEST 2020 was launched in January 2017 to extend beyond hospital walls to provide compliance, improvement and specialized support for health systems to thrive in today’s healthcare economy.
 

 

About Premier Inc.
Premier Inc. is a leading healthcare improvement company, uniting an alliance of approximately 3,750 U.S. hospitals and more than 130,000 other provider organizations. With integrated data and analytics, collaboratives, supply chain solutions, and advisory and other services, Premier enables better care and outcomes at a lower cost. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Premier is passionate about transforming American healthcare. Please visit Premier’s news and investor sites on www.premierinc.com.
 
About Watauga Medical Center
Watauga Medical Center is licensed as a 117-bed regional referral medical complex, offering both primary and secondary acute and specialty care. The Medical Center received certification by The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center in 2011.
The Cancer Center is recognized as an approved community cancer care center by the American College of Surgeon’s Committee on Cancer. Please visit apprhs.org, to learn more about Watauga Medical Center and Appalachian Regional Healthcare System.