The American Hospital Association (AHA) Center for Health Innovation recognized Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center's (MAHHC) Senior Director of Quality, Safety and Compliance, Otelah Perry, with a Quality Collective Champion award. This award is given to those who contribute to the AHA Quality Collective, an exclusive virtual peer-to-peer learning hub for healthcare quality leaders, and for their commitment to improving care quality and patient safety.
"Otelah has been an integral part of our team since she joined in 2018," said Carol Leah Barsky, MD, MBA, chief quality and value officer, Dartmouth Health. "Her dedication to ensuring that patients have a top-notch experience at MAHHC is unparalleled, and this award is a testament to that."
Launched in April 2023 as part of AHA's Living Learning Network, the Quality Collective is a virtual community for healthcare quality leaders nationwide to share knowledge, experiences, and connect with other healthcare professionals. Perry's contributions stood out amongst peers. Earlier this year she presented on emergency preparedness within MAHHC and how the Dartmouth Health member hospital incorporated Centers for Medicaid Services (CMS) standards. She also presented on how MAHHC integrated considerations of health equity into quality improvement efforts designed to better serve the greater Windsor and Woodstock, VT communities.
"I'm thrilled to share the work of our Mt. Ascutney team with others. We create quality together," Perry said.
In her role, Perry is responsible for the administration of quality and patient safety initiatives and ensuring compliance with state and federal healthcare regulations. Perry previously served as the MAHHC lab director and senior performance improvement consultant for Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH. She holds Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College and was awarded the Operational Excellence Award for the implementation of the Lean Six Sigma, team-based process efficiency program for the MAHHC laboratory.
For multiple consecutive years, MAHHC has scored in the top quartile of the annual patient experience survey from the Vermont Department of Health.
For more information about MAHHC, visit the MAHHC website.
About Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center
Founded in 1933, Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC) is a not-for-profit community hospital network in Vermont, including the critical access-designated Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Historic Homes of Runnemede, a senior residential care campus, in Windsor, as well as the Ottauquechee Health Center in Woodstock. A member of the Dartmouth Health system, MAHHC provides primary care and a comprehensive suite of specialty services, along with 25 inpatient beds, a therapeutic pool and an acclaimed, fully modernized 10-bed Acute Rehabilitation Center. Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center is dedicated to improving the lives of those it serves and is at the hub of a wide network of community resources that have partnered to cover gaps in services and improve overall population health. One of the largest employers in the area, MAHHC acknowledges its employees as its greatest asset and has been recognized by the Governor's Office with an Excellence in Worksite Wellness award.
Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), is a recent recipient of Best Practice recognition by the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) for health care quality, and is recognized by the American Hospital Association (AHA) as one of the "Most Wired" hospitals for integration of technology to boost clinical performance. The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has awarded MAHHC with Level 3 status, the highest level of medical home designation.