Jefferson Health Leveraged Analytics to Help Close Equity Gaps Throughout COVID-19 Pandemic

Jefferson Health, a large multi-state health system providing healthcare services in the greater Philadelphia region and southern New Jersey, has been recognized as a 2022 HIMSS Davies Award winner.

Jefferson Health leveraged analytics capabilities and a variety of technology tools to address several clinical challenges through the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, notably closing equity gaps with the administration of COVID-19 vaccinations and mitigating infection risk for acute care patients.

Jefferson Health used robust data models to identify the most impactful sites within underserved communities to establish mobile COVID-19 vaccination clinics. Between May 1 and Dec. 31, 2021, Jefferson Health mobile community-based clinics administered 7,481 vaccine doses with nearly 81 percent of doses received by Black, Indigenous Persons and other People of Color.

In addition to addressing vaccination disparities, Jefferson Health is being recognized for its work mitigating central line associated blood infections (CLABSI) during the pandemic and launching a data-driven transitions of care program that has significantly reduced all cause hospital readmissions within 30 days.

Jefferson Health Case Studies

• Addressing Disparities in the Administration of COVID-19 Vaccinations
• Human-Machine Partnership: Data-Facilitated, Targeted CLABSI Reduction in the Face of a Global Pandemic
• The Evolution of a Transitions of Care Program

“At Jefferson, we are committed to leveraging technology to improve lives, and the Davies award helps to affirm that we are doing so,” said Nassar Nizami, EVP, Chief Information and Digital Officer for Jefferson Health and Thomas Jefferson University. “I am incredibly grateful to our information technology, informatics and clinical teams who have mastered the art of tailoring, adopting and applying cutting-edge technologies to improve outcomes, advance quality and enhance the patient experience.”

“Healthcare delivery has evolved to be complex socio-technical work where technology is no longer simply a tool but a partner in advancing in equity, quality, safety, and experience,” said Dr. Patricia Henwood, EVP & James D. and Mary Jo Danella Chief Quality Officer at Jefferson Health. “At Jefferson, we believe we must hold our technology to the same standards that we hold our clinicians, and design workflows and systems to achieve the outcomes our caregivers and patients desire. We are thrilled that the HIMSS Davies Award has decided to honor this approach as we believe it is a spark to ignite high value healthcare delivery transformation.”

About Jefferson Health

Jefferson Health, home of Sidney Kimmel Medical College, is reimagining healthcare in the greater Philadelphia region and southern New Jersey. Jefferson’s dedicated team of doctors, nurses, health professionals and staff provides a range of primary to highly-specialized care through 18 hospitals (ten are Magnet®-designated by the ANCC for nursing excellence), more than 50 outpatient and urgent care locations, the NCI-designated Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, MossRehab, Magee Rehabilitation and the JeffConnect® telemedicine program. Jefferson Health is also home to Health Partners Plan, a not-for-profit managed healthcare organization serving more than 290,000 members in Southeastern Pennsylvania with a broad range of health coverage options through Health Partners Medicare, Health Partners (Medicaid) and KidzPartners (Children’s Health Insurance Program). Jefferson Health’s mission is to improve the lives of patients in the communities it is privileged to serve through safe, effective, equitable and compassionate care.

HIMSS Davies Award of Excellence

The HIMSS Davies Award of Excellence showcases the thoughtful application of health information and technology to substantially improve clinical care delivery, patient outcomes and population health around the world. The Davies Awards program promotes HIMSS’s vision and mission by recognizing and sharing use cases, model practices and lessons learned on how to improve health and wellness through the power of information and technology.