Main Line Health honored with American Hospital Association’s prestigious Quest for Quality Prize

Award recognizes hospital leadership and innovation in quality performance improvement

Bryn Mawr, PA — The American Hospital Association (AHA) today announced that Main Line Health, which serves Philadelphia and its suburbs, has been named the 2023 recipient of the American Hospital Association Quest for Quality Prize.

The AHA Quest for Quality Prize is presented annually to recognize exceptional health care leadership and innovation in improving quality and advancing health in America’s communities.

Main Line Health – along with Atlantic Health System in Morristown, NJ, and University of Chicago Medicine, in Chicago, which have been awarded Citations of Merit – will receive its prestigious recognition during the AHA’s Leadership Summit in Seattle on July 17. The AHA Quest for Quality Prize was first awarded in 2002.

“The noteworthy achievements made by this year’s AHA Quest for Quality Prize honorees have truly enhanced the efficiency, effectiveness and equity of health care within their respective communities,” said Rick Pollack, AHA’s president and CEO. “Based on their novel models of care, services and collaborations, they are exceptional stewards of quality and very deserving of this recognition.”

Jack Lynch, FACHE, President and CEO of Main Line Health, said the honor serves as validation of the System’s effectiveness in delivering safe, high-quality and equitable care.

“Today is one of the proudest days in my 18 years at Main Line Health,” Lynch said. “Our belief that health care is human care is not a mere slogan – we instill it in everything we do. It is especially rewarding to receive recognition of our efforts in diversity and equity as we strive to ensure everyone’s voice counts and to provide a culture of caring. This award belongs to every single member of our Main Line Health team. I thank them for their dedication to the community we serve.”

Main Line Health comprises four of the region's most respected acute care hospitals – Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Riddle Hospital – as well as one of the nation's premier facilities for rehabilitative medicine, Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital. It was selected by a multidisciplinary committee of health care quality and patient safety experts for its systemwide integration of quality, safety and equity and for the governing and operating structures supporting these goals.

Main Line Health began its equity work more than 10 years ago, and efforts to increase equity and inclusion infuse the organization from the board Quality Safety and Equity Committee to front-line staff — a workforce that is motivated to provide excellent care and one that feels supported by a just culture.

The AHA found the leadership team members at Main Line Health demonstrate engagement and a depth of knowledge about achieving quality goals. Clinical environmental workgroups work across facilities to achieve alignment, and unit-based councils enable front-line staff to participate in quality improvement activities.

The AHA has also found Main Line Health’s dedication to innovating to promote better care is evident throughout its operations. For example, its new behavioral health unit is a strong commitment to meeting community needs and could serve as a national model for the field. Its significant investment in improving obstetrical and neonatal care has been applauded, and its Disparities in Care Colloquium continues to advance health equity within the system and its community. The organization’s safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable and patient- and family-centered (STEEEP) performance dashboard has furthered the identification of key disparities in clinical metrics.