San Francisco Sun

Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG) has been awarded the 2024 Bernard J. Tyson National Award for Excellence in Pursuit of Healthcare Equity by The Joint Commission and Kaiser Permanente. This award acknowledges ZSFG's success in reducing healthcare disparities, particularly focusing on the readmission rates for Black/African American patients with heart failure.

The Tyson Award, established in 2021, honors efforts that lead to a significant and sustained reduction in healthcare disparities. ZSFG's initiative, "Reducing Racial Disparities for African American Patients with Heart Failure," achieved notable results between 2018 and 2022. These include closing a 5.4% gap in the 30-day readmission rate between Black/African American heart failure patients and the general patient population, lowering the overall readmission rate from 33% to 20%, and decreasing mortality rates by more than 6%.

Two strategies contributed to these outcomes: AI-based tools integrated into electronic health records provided targeted recommendations for care, while an Addiction Medicine/Cardiology Co-Management Clinic addressed complex patient needs through multidisciplinary collaboration.

Dr. Grant Colfax, SFDPH Director of Health, expressed gratitude for the recognition: "The San Francisco Department of Public Health is deeply grateful to the Joint Commission and Kaiser Permanente for honoring the department with the Bernard J. Tyson National Award for Excellence in Pursuit of Healthcare Equity." He added that investing in technology not only improves outcomes but also builds a foundation where everyone can thrive.

ZSFG also received its second consecutive Equity Quality Leaders Award from CAPH and SNI earlier this month. This recognition was given for their work on reducing heart failure readmissions.

Susan Ehrlich, MD, MPP, CEO of ZSFG stated: “These awards highlight how innovative teamwork by our clinicians and staff can effectively address the systemic healthcare inequities that impact our patients.” She emphasized that focusing on Black/African American patients improved outcomes across all demographics.

ZSFG remains committed to addressing systemic inequities while providing compassionate care as an essential safety-net hospital in San Francisco.

About Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center:

ZSFG is a 397-bed acute care hospital under the San Francisco Department of Public Health. It offers comprehensive services including inpatient, outpatient, emergency care as well as psychiatric services being San Francisco’s only Level 1 trauma center providing around-the-clock psychiatric emergency services.