New Iberia – Iberia Medical Center has received the 2010 Louisiana Hospital Capstone Quality Award from eQHealth Solutions, the Medicare quality improvement organization for Louisiana.

Iberia Medical Center is one of only 38 hospitals in the state achieving certain improvements in the quality of health care.

Previously titled the Louisiana Hospital Quality Awards, the Louisiana Hospital Capstone Quality Awards are aligned with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ inpatient quality initiatives and recognize hospital achievement in appropriate care for patients with diagnoses of acute myocardial infarction, heart Failure, community acquired pneumonia, and with improvements in care related to measures outlined in the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP).

The award, presented at the 2011 Louisiana Medicare Quality Summit in Baton Rouge on April 29, is the fifth award presented to Iberia Medical Center in as many years.

“As witnessed by the new health care reform law, and corresponding debate, we all recognize that making improvements to our health care system comes at a slow pace,” said Gary Curtis, CEO of eQHealth Solutions.

“Health care providers in Louisiana have committed to reducing the rates of infections, pressure ulcers, surgical injuries, unnecessary hospital readmissions and many other key measures of health care quality,” he said.

“At our annual Medicare Quality Summit, eQHealth is proud to recognize the providers and facilities that making health better for the people and communities they serve.”

“The medical staff and the entire health care team of Iberia Medical Center are dedicated to providing the very best in patient care and our efforts have been enhanced through our quality improvement partnerships with eQHealth Solutions,” said John Tucker, FACHE, CEO of Iberia Medical Center.

“We are extremely proud to be a recipient of this distinguished award.”