The American Academy of PAs’ (AAPA) Center for Healthcare Leadership and Management (CHLM) announced the inaugural winners of the Employer of Excellence Awards during AAPA Conference 2018 in New Orleans. The award program is designed to showcase hospitals and health systems that have implemented practices that create positive work environments for PAs (physician assistants) and encourage collaborative provider teams. The program is the first and only PA-specific award program available to hospitals and health systems. The 2018-2019 winners are:

Brigham Health – Brigham and Women’s Hospital – Boston
The Cleveland Clinic – Cleveland
El Centro Family Health – Taos, New Mexico
Hospital for Special Surgery – New York
MidMichigan Health – Midland, Michigan
NYU Langone Health – New York
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance – Seattle
Wake Forest Baptist Health – Winston-Salem, North Carolina
“These eight hospitals and health systems have unlocked some important secrets to maximize the value of PAs to their organizations and their patients,” said Jenna Dorn, CEO of AAPA. “PA-positive environments create a win-win situation for PAs and for employers.”

To determine the criteria for recognition, CHLM partnered with HealthStream, a leading provider of workforce, patient experience, and provider solutions for the healthcare industry, to gain an understanding of what PAs value in their place of employment. Based on the survey findings, criteria for the Employer of Excellence Awards focused on five key drivers:

Establishing a positive and supportive PA work environment.
Providing opportunities for PAs to provide meaningful input that leads to positive organizational change.
Keeping PAs informed about organizational activity and decisions.
Involving PAs in leadership efforts to improve the quality of patient care.
Creating processes for effective conflict management.
“These hospitals and health systems have earned designation as Employers of Excellence by taking specific steps to empower their PAs and promote mutual respect and effective communication among all of their healthcare providers,” said Jennifer Broderick, managing director of CHLM. “We’re thrilled to be able to recognize organizations that are going the extra mile to ensure their PAs get the opportunity to work in engaging environments and achieve the best patient outcomes.”

Each awardee will be showcased as a top place to work for PAs, which will enhance recruitment of highly-qualified PAs, increase retention rates, and showcase the awardees as pioneers in the healthcare industry. Awardees will retain their designation as an Employer of Excellence for two years, and then must re-apply to maintain the designation.

Any hospital or health system in the United States that employs PAs was eligible to apply for the award. The next online application period opens in fall 2018.