The Reading Hospital Chosen to Participate in National Initiative

Sunday, August 30, 2009

The Reading Hospital and Medical Center (TRHMC) has been selected to participate in a National Initiative to Improve Patient Care through Graduate Medical Education.  The Initiative is sponsored by the Alliance of Independent Academic Medical Centers (AIAMC), a national membership organization based in Chicago, IL.

The AIAMC National Initiative (NI) is the first national and multi-institutional effort that focuses on the alignment of Graduate Medical Education with hospital quality and safety strategies.  The Initiative provides critical education, team training and support to participating hospitals, and equips participants with the tools and infrastructure necessary to accomplish meaningful improvements to patient care.  Thirty-four AIAMC hospitals and health systems were selected to participate. 

The Reading Hospital was selected based upon their demonstrated leadership in utilizing Graduate Medical Education as a key driver to improve quality, patient safety, and the cost-effectiveness of care.  A leadership team from the Hospital will collaborate with select hospitals from across the United States in designing and implementing a quality improvement plan that integrates Graduate Medical Education and patient safety.  Participants from TRHMC will attend four on-site meetings and monthly conference calls during the 18-month period of the National Initiative. 

The Alliance of Independent Academic Medical Centers was founded in 1989.  Its membership includes approximately 70 major academic medical centers and health systems representing more than 350 senior medical academic leaders from Seattle to Maine.  Membership in the association is unique in that AIAMC members are affiliated with medical schools but are independent of medical school ownership or governance.  AIAMC members regard medical education and research as strategic assets in providing patient-centered care.