For the third consecutive year, NYU Langone Medical Center won the University Healthcare System Quality Leadership Award for outstanding performance in Quality and Accountability Study.

Presented annually to 10 academic medical centers, the study identifying achievement in the Institute of Medicine’s six domains of care using performance data from various sources. These health care aims involve safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient and equitable practices.

NYU School of Medicine spokesperson Deborah Haffeman described Langone’s success in a recent press release.

“NYU Langone achieved five stars for its overall performance and ranked number one in the domains of mortality, effectiveness and equity,” Haffeman said.

Langone spokesperson Lisa Greiner defined these indicators, saying the center is especially pleased with the inclusion of the recognition of care in the ambulatory setting.

“Mortality compares the observed death rate to the expected rate for patients,” Greiner said. “Effectiveness is how effective our care is, particularly in connection to process of core measures, as well as readmission rates. Equity measures the equality of patient care, regardless of gender, race, or socioeconomic status.”

Greiner said faculty and staff at Langone work to make progress in all intiatives across their work, not just the ones looked at by the University HealthSystem Consortium. Greiner also highlighted the importance of the award taking its name from Langone’s former senior vice president.

“This year’s recognition was made even more significant by the fact that the Quality and Accountability Study Award has been renamed the Bernard A. Birnbaum, M.D., Quality Leadership Award, in honor of NYU Langone’s late senior vice president, vice dean and chief of hospital operations, Dr. Birnbaum,” Greiner said. “Dr. Birnbaum was a member of the UHC Board of Directors and was passionate about improving quality and safety in healthcare.”

NYU Langone also received the inaugural 2015 Ambulatory Care Quality and Accountability Leadership Award, which honors excellence in outpatient care. The award’s criteria include equity, access to care, quality and efficiency, continuum of care, the alignment of resources and patients and capacity management
and throughput.

Langone’s dominance in recent rankings has been driven by its strong geriatric, orthopedic, neurology, neurosurgery and rheumatology specialties. All five specialities are ranked by U.S. News and World as top ten programs. The 791-bed hospital is currently ranked second in the region and 12th in the nation.

However, NYU Langone is still trying to improve. Under the leadership of Dean and CEO Dr. Robert Grossman, Langone is undergoing a sweeping campus transformation. Intent on creating a world-class academic medical center, the project will expand NYU Langone beyond the main campus between 34th and
30th streets.

“The expansion increases access to NYU Langone’s high quality healthcare for millions of New Yorkers in the neighborhoods where they live and work,”
Greiner said.

As NYU’s medical consortium continues expanding and improving, many students are excited and proud of the developments. Nursing senior Krista Traub discussed the quality and prestige of a degree from the College of Nursing.

“I feel very comfortable in the knowledge and skills I have learned at NYU,” Traub said. “Being a part of NYU College of Nursing program opens doors for the future.”

A version of this article appeared in the Oct. 5 print edition. Email Thomas Peracchio at [email protected].