UM BWMC Recognized For Patient Safety And Positive Impact

The University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center (UM BWMC) was recognized by the Mid-Atlantic Patient Safety Center as a Circle of Honor winner in the 2026 Minogue Awards for a new population health initiative that’s reducing readmissions through the emergency department (ED).

A member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), UM BWMC was one of only eight hospitals recognized for its commitment to high-quality care by the annual Minogue Awards program, a highly competitive honor that received more than 50 submissions from health care organizations and hospitals across Maryland. The Minogue Awards celebrate innovation and excellence in patient safety across the Mid-Atlantic region.

This is the fifth consecutive year UM BWMC has had care programs honored by the Mid-Atlantic Patient Safety Center, formerly known as the Maryland Patient Safety Center. The Mid-Atlantic Patient Safety Center recognizes and shares the best examples of the region’s health care efforts to improve patient safety through the prestigious Minogue Award.

“This continued recognition reflects our focus and attention to helping more Marylanders safely access expert care and manage their health closer to home through connections to community resources and specialists,” said Kathy McCollum, president of UM BWMC. “This collaboration of experts is a great example of our commitment to becoming the safest health system in the state, and ensuring high-quality care reaches every community we serve.”

The 2026 honoree, Dr. Alisa Larbalestrier, medical director for population health and data analytics at UM BWMC, saw a persistent safety and quality challenge in the high volume of readmissions that occur at the hospital. Working with colleagues in the population health and emergency departments at UM BWMC, she developed a program that sought to decrease readmissions and advance health equity by addressing social drivers of health, improving access to medications and outpatient care, and supporting medically fragile patients in maintaining their health safely at home.

“At UM BWMC, most admissions and readmissions come through the emergency department,” Larbalestrier said. “We embarked on a new quality improvement initiative called IMPACT — Interventions to Minimize Preventable Admissions through Care Transitions — to address preventable hospital readmissions by intervening earlier in the care continuum. This approach hardwires safety into daily operations, resulting in more timely, equitable, and clinically appropriate discharge planning and reducing the chances of needing post-discharge intervention.”

This quality improvement initiative started by redefining the role of the transitional nurse navigator in the emergency department, having this individual focus on high-risk or first-time admissions at the hospital. The nurse navigator was supported by real-time information technology alerts through the electronic medical record system that improved workflow and proactively recommended and connected community resources that could support patient care. The new automated alert system identified high-risk patients at ED registration, prompting rapid coordination of specialty follow-up, home health services, medication access and palliative care, when appropriate, for patients during their visit.

The program has delivered measurable and sustained impact on ED throughput – an important quality measure that looks at how efficiently patients are seen and treated within the emergency department setting. In 2025, admission rates among high-risk patients decreased (5%) while safe discharges increased (3%). By July, the admission rate had reached a new low level (39%). Data showed continued improvement, including the lowest monthly readmission count that’s been logged at the hospital in over two years.

“The IMPACT program shows how innovative, team-based care can make a real difference for patients and families,” said Jason Heavner, chief medical officer at UM BWMC. “Under Dr. Larbalestier’s leadership, this work is helping patients get the support they need earlier, reducing avoidable hospital stays and improving overall outcomes. This recognition from the Mid-Atlantic Patient Safety Center reflects our team’s dedication to patient-centered care as well as UM BWMC’s ongoing commitment to improving the health of our community.”

Cheryl Ruff, senior director of population health and primary care services at University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Group, added, “When patients return to the emergency department, it’s often due to unmet needs or social barriers. The IMPACT team works to proactively identify some of these challenges and meet patient needs so that these individuals have a better chance of thriving once they return home. This early nurse-led intervention has led to fewer readmissions and safer discharges, advancing high-quality patient care, health equity and a reduction in the overall cost of care.”

The Minogue honorees were selected by a panel of independent judges who are leaders in the Maryland health care community. Larbalestrier will be formally recognized alongside her fellow Minogue Awards winners at a special reception held in conjunction with the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Patient Safety Conference in April. The conference will take place at the Baltimore Hilton Inner Harbor.

To learn more about UM BWMC’s outreach efforts, visit umbwmc.org.