More than 350 health care professionals gathered at the 2019 Hospital Quality Institute (HQI) Annual Conference in Sacramento Oct. 14 and 15 to discuss the successes that have positioned California as the quality improvement leader and the challenges remaining to advance patient safety.
The conference featured 20 speakers from across the country, an opening day of keynote addresses, and a half day with nine breakouts that took a deep dive into some of the most pressing patient safety issues facing California hospitals. Also featured were 28 poster sessions highlighting best practices in quality improvement and patient safety across California.
The HQI Annual Conference is also home to the C. Duane Dauner Quality Awards, which recognize outstanding achievement in the area of patient safety, quality improvement and experience. This year’s winner is the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC). The winning entry was entitled “Making an Impact with Post-Acute Care Transitions (PACT).” PACT embraces patient-centered care, looking beyond hospital stays and discharge to meet the ongoing needs of patients affected by homelessness, substance use disorders, and other mental health conditions.
Also recognized during the HQI conference were two C. Duane Dauner Award finalists. Keck Medicine of the University of Southern California was honored for their entry “Surgical Care and Recovery: Impacting Postoperative Pain and the Opioid Crisis.” John Muir Health was recognized for their entry “Sepsis Management for the 21st Century: Clinicians and Technology.”
HQI recognizes traveling to events can be time-consuming and costly, so next year will represent an exciting evolution for our annual conference. In 2020, our annual conference will be held twice — in both Northern and Southern California locations. The new event format will be one-day long with multiple breakout sessions and wow-factor keynotes to open and close the event. If you are coming in the night before, plan to join us for a welcome reception and to honor C. Duane Dauner Award recipients. Dates will be announced soon for this fall conference.