Emory Healthcare and Emory Decatur Hospital have received recognition from the Georgia Hospital Association (GHA) for their efforts in improving patient safety and quality of care. The organizations were honored with three awards that acknowledge achievements in reducing medical errors and enhancing clinical outcomes.
Emory Healthcare was awarded second place in the health systems category for its project, “Pathway to Excellence: A Systemwide Journey to Mortality Reduction and Safer Care.” This initiative aimed to improve mortality outcomes and increase equitable access to end-of-life care. According to Emory Healthcare, the project led to a 45.7% improvement in the Vizient Mortality Index across all operating units and resulted in a 163% increase in hospice care admissions.
“This recognition from the Georgia Hospital Association underscores the meaningful progress we are making in elevating quality and safety across our system,” said Joon S. Lee, MD, executive vice president for Woodruff Health Sciences at Emory University and chief executive officer of Emory Healthcare. “These awards reflect the expertise, dedication and compassion of our teams — all united by a commitment to delivering safer, more reliable care for every patient we serve across Georgia and beyond.”
Emory Decatur Hospital earned first place among hospitals with more than 300 beds for its “Waterfall Rapid Medical Evaluation (RME): Transforming Front-End Emergency Care” project. The hospital reported a 77% decrease in patients leaving without completing care, a reduction of 90 minutes in turnaround time for discharged emergency department patients, and a 33% rise in Press Ganey patient experience scores despite a 12% annual increase in emergency department visits.
“We were proud to submit our RME project as an example of how bold redesign, guided by evidence and teamwork, can transform patient care,” said Jen Schuck, CEO of Emory Decatur, Emory Hillandale, and Emory Long‑Term Acute Care hospitals. “At Emory Decatur, we focus on strengthening early‑recognition practices and ensuring our care teams have the tools and support needed to intervene quickly and effectively. This achievement reflects the extraordinary dedication of our clinicians, nurses and staff who work every day to make our hospital safer for the community we serve.”
In addition to these honors, Emory Healthcare received a Circle of Excellence award from GHA. This award is given to hospitals or health systems that have shown sustained commitment by winning at least three GHA Patient Safety and Quality Awards within five years. Since 2003, Emory Healthcare has regularly earned GHA Patient Safety Awards and has received 20 Circle of Excellence Awards since 2006.
Emory Healthcare operates as Georgia’s largest academic health system with nearly 30,000 employees across 11 hospitals. It provides services through over 3,800 physicians covering more than 70 specialties throughout metro Atlanta as well as other regions of Georgia via joint ventures and affiliate networks.
Emory Decatur Hospital is one of these facilities with 451 beds located on North Decatur Road. Its staff includes faculty from Emory University School of Medicine along with private practice physicians serving patients across various specialties such as emergency medicine, oncology, heart care including stroke treatment, maternity services, orthopaedics, behavioral health programs, weight loss support centers, and medical fitness resources.
