Tucson Medical Center Case Management Earns Franklin Award
from ACMA, The Joint Commission

Media contacts:   

Elizabeth Eaken Zhani
The Joint Commission
630-792-5914

Tyler Neese
ACMA
501-907-2262

Michael Letson
Tucson Medical Center
520-324-5073

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(OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. – April 12, 2010) The Joint Commission and the American Case Management Association (ACMA) today announced that the case management services program of Tucson Medical Center, in Tucson, Arizona, is the winner of the 2010 Franklin Award of Distinction.

Tucson Medical Center’s case management services program is distinctive in that it encompasses the entire hospital, with case managers acting as full members of the management team on patient care units.  Tucson Medical Center’s use of a case management council to discuss practice issues and raise the issues with managers and volunteers also showed they have a strong commitment to patient care.

“Tucson Medical Center demonstrated their distinctive characteristics via an integration of bed control, hospital executive understanding of case management’s role in their accountable care organization designation, evidence of case management’s clinical influence in the plan of care, and their international and nurse practitioner case manager roles,” says L. Greg Cunningham, CEO, ACMA.  “We are pleased to give recognition to the organization and their leadership for their commitment to the practice of Hospital Case Management.”

“The Joint Commission applauds Tucson Medical Center for demonstrating how effective case management can improve the quality of health care,” says Jean Range, M.S., R.N., C.P.H.Q., executive director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, The Joint Commission.  ”By making collaboration on care issues a part of everyday practice, Tucson Medical Center is able to focus on personalized services that meet patient needs.”

A panel of national experts, including nurses, social workers and other health care
professionals identified by ACMA and The Joint Commission, carefully reviewed the nominations and selected Tucson Medical Center for the award.  The organization was evaluated on its ability to demonstrate a commitment to a collaborative philosophy and an interdisciplinary process for case management. 

 “We are proud of the work our multidisciplinary case management team performs every day, and receiving the Franklin Award of Distinction validates the confidence we have in our team,” said Donna Fulton, M.D., vice president, Medical Affairs, Tucson Medical Center.  “As we continue to look for opportunities to reduce waste and improve the care we provide patients, effective case management will continue to be a vital part of the continuum of care.  The team we have in place has put TMC on the cutting edge of hospital case management.”

An on-site evaluation of Tucson Medical Center’s case management service model validated that the services met or exceeded the award’s criteria for excellence.  Criteria included:

• The case management service demonstrates that practice is interdependent and not the function of one person or discipline;
• The service model demonstrates respect for distinct professional identities and skills;
• The practice of case management is the catalyst for stronger relationships to achieve the best care for patients and families;
• The practice of case management provides leadership, competence and expertise in the solution or resolution of identified problems;
• The case management service has evolved through evaluation and innovation;
• The patient care provided achieves clinical, operational and/or quality outcomes;
• Case management practice is validated by measurable and reportable outcomes; and
• Improved clinical outcomes are documented to the extent that improvement can be replicated in other hospitals or health systems.

The award is named for Benjamin Franklin, the co-founder of the first organized hospital in the United States. His personal character, integrity and credibility, as well as his reputation as an entrepreneur and inventor, represent the type of leadership and forward thinking that distinguish the hospitals or health systems recognized as Franklin Award recipients.

The ACMA and The Joint Commission formally presented the Franklin Award to Tucson Medical Center Case Management on April 9, 2010, at the 17th annual National Institute for Case Management (NICM) Clinical Case Management Conference and 11th annual ACMA meeting in San Antonio, Texas.