2014 Fine Awards for Teamwork Excellence in Health Care

On November 12, five local teams were honored as recipients of the seventh annual Fine Awards for Teamwork Excellence in Health Care. The awards were presented during an evening reception, MC'd by KDKA's Jon Burnett, at the Carnegie Museum of Art. Sponsored by The Fine Foundation and the Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF), the Fine Awards reinforce the critical role teamwork plays in health care. The 2014 Fine Awards recognized frontline workers in the greater Pittsburgh area who elevate and disseminate best practices in infection control or pain management — two quality measures that influence whether providers receive incentive payments or incur penalties from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

"Infection control prevents unnecessary pain, expense, and death," said Milton Fine, chairman of The Fine Foundation. "Pain management relieves suffering, and it gives patients hope and a greater measure of control of their lives. Both processes relieve the anguish of patients' families and caregivers. Working together with the energy, the creativity, and the enthusiasm that we celebrate this evening, we can reach clarity, sanity, and effectiveness in our health care. The values that drive your work will inspire others; and your leadership will move us toward a better healthcare system."

Fine Awards winners, chosen by a national panel of experts in infection control and pain management, were required to demonstrate evidence of sustainable quality improvement.

"The recent Ebola outbreak in Africa, and isolated cases in the U.S.," noted JHF President and CEO Karen Wolk Feinstein, PhD, "has raised public awareness of the need to control infection, but this certainly is not a new issue — healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) have been a major threat to patient safety since there was health care. We do, however, know that most HAIs can be prevented through strict adherence to evidence-based practices — JHF's Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative (a regional health improvement collaborative that is an operating arm of the Foundation) has demonstrated that quite successfully in a number of settings. Progress has been made in HAI prevention; but there is still much room for improvement. The second area of focus, pain management, was selected because of the ubiquity of pain. One in four Americans lives with pain, some only for brief periods, some chronically. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports that 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain.

"These two measures were once seen as byproducts of medicine, but no longer," Dr. Feinstein continued. "Through the Fine Awards, we reward teams who bring the same attention to detail, precision, and customer service to the healthcare industry as Milt brought to the hospitality industry."

  • Platinum Award Winner

    Allegheny Health Network – Allegheny Valley Hospital
    Eliminating Hospital-Acquired Clostridium Difficile Infections

  • Platinum Award Winner

    VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
    Regional Anesthesia and Pain Prevention for Joint Replacement

  • Gold Award Winner

    St. Clair Hospital
    Surgical Site Infection Prevention

  • Silver Award Winner

    Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
    Creating a Culture of Excellence in Central Line Care

  • Bronze Award Winner

    Allegheny Health Network – Saint Vincent Hospital
    Improving Safe Use of Opioid Therapy