Eaton Rapids Medical Center (ERMC) Emergency Department is a proud recipient of the 2024 Governor’s Award of Excellence. ERMC’s Emergency Department earned prestigious recognition for: Emergency Department Transfer Communication: Critical Access Hospitals. This distinguished award was offered through a collaboration of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, iMPROve Health and the Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) Keystone Center.
“The staff played a crucial role in this achievement by diligently documenting transfer patients, ensuring accurate information sharing. This attention to detail improved communication and enhanced patient outcomes, highlighting the importance of teamwork in our success,” said Marissa Amboy, Emergency and Respiratory Manager. “This recognition reinforces our hospital’s goals by validating our commitment to excellence. It inspires us to set higher standards and pursue new initiatives that enhance patient safety and outcomes, uniting our team around our mission to provide exceptional healthcare.”
The award criteria were aligned with the healthcare objectives of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Enrolled organizations could win the Governor’s Award in up to three different categories and could receive Medals of Achievement by demonstrating the incorporation of Person and Family and/or Health Equity strategies to drive improvement.
“Small and rural hospitals often face unfair comparisons with larger systems, as many quality measures simply don’t apply to us—it’s like comparing apples to watermelons,” said Heather Schragg, Director of Quality, Risk Management & Medical Staff. “That’s why it’s crucial for us to be recognized for the quality initiatives that truly reflect our work and the needs of our community. This award from iMPROve Health and the MHA Keystone Center highlights our efforts to improve emergency care, especially in a rural setting where distance is a significant challenge.”
The Governor’s Award of Excellence started in 2003 in partnership with iMPROve Health and Gov. Engler. The award recognizes providers that focus on improving some of Michigan’s most pressing health issues. The Medals of Achievement are additional recognition for providers that incorporate an inclusive approach to care and strategies that are aimed at decreasing disparities in care.
About iMPROve Health
iMPROve Health is Michigan’s designated Quality Improvement Organization. As a nonprofit organization, we have 40 years of experience improving healthcare across the continuum of care using evidence-based and data-driven logic. We also have extensive experience completing thoughtful and impartial utilization review, dispute resolution and peer reviews.
Our multidisciplinary staff is composed of physicians, registered nurses, data analysts, quality consultants and health information technology experts. Our reach extends throughout the country.
Since 2002, iMPROve Health has maintained URAC accreditation as an Independent Review Organization: Comprehensive Review.
About MHA Keystone Center
All Michigan hospitals and thousands of their team members are voluntarily participating in MHA programs to improve the safety and quality of healthcare. A growing number of hospitals in other states are now part of the MHA-lead patient safety and quality initiatives.
As a result of these initiatives, which are driven by evidence-based, best practices, and strongly supported by data, engaged hospitals are seeing great improvements in safety and quality outcomes. The MHA Keystone Center’s mission, vision, and values are an essential part of the work being done, and demonstrate their engagement to improving Michigan hospitals.