Quality and Patient Safety Awards
The Excellence in Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety Award is now open!
This award recognizes hospitals that demonstrate exemplary improvements in quality, patient safety and outcomes. Deadline to apply is December 15, 2026. For questions about the Excellence in Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety Award, please contact us.
To Apply
Please review the Submission Guide for step-by-step instructions on how to prepare and submit your quality story. When you are ready, click the Submission Form to enter your information and complete your submission. Applicants will receive an email confirmation upon receipt of their application.
Award Categories
Four hospitals will be awarded based on these categories:
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals:
- Critical Access Hospital - 1 to 25 beds
- General Medical Surgical Hospital - 26 to 99 beds
- General Medical Surgical Hospital - 100 beds and greater
Specialty Care Hospital
- 1 - Psychiatric/Behavioral Health, Long-term Acute Care, or Rehabilitation Hospital
Eligibility
- Hospital must be a member of the Wisconsin Hospital Association.
- Multiple applications per organization are welcomed.
- Each application must reflect an improvement project completed within the last 12 months.
- Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Note: Previous award winners are not excluded and can apply each year.
Review Criteria
The WHA Quality team will conduct an initial review of all submissions for completeness. Completed applications will then be evaluated by a team of external judges based on the following five categories:
- Process of Identifying Need and Project Scope
- Leadership and Planning
- Process Improvement Methods
- Results
- Lessons Learned/Sustainability
Suggested Topics for Improvement Projects
- Adverse drug events
- Antibiotic stewardship
- Behavioral health
- Engaging community partners in care
- Health equity and social determinants of health
- Infection prevention
- Opioid and substance use disorders
- Patient and family engagement
- Reducing readmissions
- Transitions of care across the continuum
- Workforce well-being
View the 2025 award winners, the 2024 winners or the 2026 winners below. To see the photo album from the 2026 awards dinner, click here.
2026 Excellence in Healthcare Quality & Patient Safety Award Winners
Reedsburg Area Medical Center
Reedsburg Area Medical Center won for Improving Patient Safety: Through Reduction of Blood Culture Contamination (Critical Access Hospital 1-25 Bed Category)
Aspirus Stevens Point Hospital
Aspirus Stevens Point Hospital won for Early Identification of C. difficile: Improving Safety Through Screening (General Medical Surgical Hospital 26-99 Bed Category)
Children’s Wisconsin
Children’s Wisconsin won for Lock it Up: A Collaborative Approach to Safe Gun and Medication Storage (General Medical Surgical Hospital 100+ Bed Category)
Emplify Health by Bellin Behavioral Health
Emplify Health by Bellin Behavioral Health won for Patient Safety and Restrictive Measures (Specialty Hospital Category)
