CHICAGO – August 20, 2020 – The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) announced today that it has awarded Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) its 2020 Grace Award. The award, which is named for AHIMA’s founder, Grace Whiting Myers, honors organizations that demonstrate excellence in health information management. AHIMA will present the hospital with this honor at the AHIMA20 Virtual Conference on October 15.

More than 90 years ago, AHIMA’s founder, Grace Whiting Myers, acted on a sincere conviction to improve the quality of the nation’s health records by founding the association. AHIMA continues the annual recognition of the Grace Award to honor healthcare delivery organizations for their innovative and novel approaches to using health information to deliver high-quality care to patients.

“It’s clear that CHOP is an exceptionally deserving recipient of the 2020 Grace Award,” said AHIMA CEO Wylecia Wiggs Harris, PhD, CAE. “Its health information team has created a culture of development and advancement, which has led to a high-performing unit that makes a positive impact on patient care.”

As one of the top children’s hospitals in the country, CHOP welcomes patients from all over the world, often for medically complex care. The work of the health information team allows for precise digital assessments that drive a proper matching of care and resources. By incorporating and using analytics and electronic medical record tools, CHOP has lowered its average length of stay by a significant number of days. The hospital has also decreased its readmission rate.  

CHOP has been accredited as a Level 2 Accountable Care Organization by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. CHOP earned this designation because it met the committee’s standards for reduced costs, quality of care, and patient experience.

“CHOP’s accomplishments truly exemplify the vital role the health information profession contributes to a health care system achieving its mission and vision,” said Grace Award Committee Chair Jennifer McManis, RHIT, CHC. “From developing leaders to embracing innovation and data analytics, the team models how to connect the health information profession to the organization.”

CHOP Senior Director of Health Information Management Stephen A. Young, RHIA, MBA, MSIS, said the health information team is empowered by an organization that recognizes their resilience and adaptability, as well as the value of AHIMA credentials.

“Both AHIMA and CHOP play an important role in delivering high-quality healthcare to patients across the country,” Young said. “The health information professionals at CHOP are an amazing, interdisciplinary team. The vision of Grace Whiting Myers is embedded into our work and we’re honored to receive this award.”

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About AHIMA
The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is a global nonprofit association of health information (HI) professionals. AHIMA represents professionals who work with health data for more than one billion patient visits each year. AHIMA’s mission of empowering people to impact health drives our members and credentialed HI professionals to ensure health information is accurate, complete, and available to patients and providers. Our leaders work at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and business, and are found in data integrity and information privacy job functions worldwide. Visit cms-qa.ahima.org for more information.