Rhode Island Quality Institute Receives National Award For Excellence In Mental Health
Rhode Island Quality Institute has received the 2013 National Council Award of Excellence for Health Information Technology from the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare (National Council).
The National Council Awards of Excellence honor the innovative and inspirational efforts of individuals and organizations — staff, board leaders, volunteers, consumers, families, and community partners — who are changing the lives of children, adults, and families living with mental illnesses and addiction disorders.
Rhode Island Quality Institute (RIQI) has integrated behavioral health information into CurrentCare, the statewide Health Information Exchange. CurrentCare ensures that patients are fully protected by a secure, electronic exchange of information whenever they seek care from participating providers. Primary and behavioral health providers can view clinical information from patients who have consented and enrolled in CurrentCare, and connect to other healthcare providers to exchange health information. An independent panel of mental health leaders chose the winners from a large pool of applicants. A donation of $10,000 was made to RIQI in recognition of this award.
“Treating the whole individual is imperative to improving health outcomes. Connecting providers with information that helps treat the whole patient, and improves quality and safety of care is central to RIQI’s mission,” said Laura Adams, RIQI President & CEO. “We proudly accept this award, which acknowledges that people with substance abuse issues and behavioral health needs deserve the same access to innovations designed to improve health and wellbeing as those with conditions such as heart disease.”
Adams received the award on behalf of RIQI at a special ceremony on April 9 during the 2013 National Council Conference. Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter was the guest of honor at this event, which also celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Community Mental Health Act signed into law by President John F. Kennedy in 1963.
“Rhode Island Quality Institute has helped our state stay on the cutting edge of health care innovation, working to improve care and lower costs for patients – including those with behavioral health conditions,” said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who founded RIQI in 2001. “I congratulate RIQI on this well-earned award, and I look forward to working with them to give Rhode Islanders the highest-possible quality of care.”
“The National Council Awards of Excellence this year commemorate President Kennedy’s vision of a new frontier in behavioral health, one in which individuals with mental illnesses and addictions recover in community. Our honorees are helping us advance toward this new frontier — one piece of art, one program, one scientific breakthrough, one public policy success, and one story of hope at a time,” said Linda Rosenberg, President and CEO of the National Council. “The stories are inspiring. Honorees have turned their private pain into public passion. We applaud their selflessness, their service, and their sense of commitment,” she added.
About Rhode Island Quality Institute
RIQI is a center of collaborative innovation that advances health and healthcare transformation. Our mission is to improve the quality, safety and value of healthcare and share knowledge that advances the field of healthcare improvement.
RIQI is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded in 2001 and overseen by a Board of Directors made up of senior health industry leaders from our community, including CEOs of hospitals, health insurers and health-related businesses, along with leaders of consumer groups, academia and government agencies. For more information, visit www.riqi.org.
Source: Rhode Island Quality Institute