Knowledge has no borders and more knowledge means better preparation and overall results. Healthcare is no different. Hospitals, physicians, nurses and other healthcare providers work every day to design systems of care that are safe, effective, evidence-based and efficient. Taking that knowledge and sharing it with others benefits everyone. We can all learn from each other's successes and challenges and apply those lessons to continuously improve our performance.

The New Jersey Hospital Association and its member hospitals are currently participating in one of these innovations called Partnership for Patients. Partnership for Patients is a national initiative developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to improve the quality, safety and affordability of healthcare and builds on the previous four years of Hospital Engagement Network (HEN) efforts.

NJHA's Health Research and Educational Trust was selected by CMS to lead this new effort in New Jersey as a Hospital Improvement Innovation Network (HIIN) and strives to lead hospitals in rapid implementation of well-tested and measured best practices to reduce harm across the board. 

The two goals of Partnership for Patients are:

• Keep patients from getting injured or sicker. By the end of 2018, healthcare-associated conditions (HACs) would decrease by 20 percent compared to 2014. 
  
  
• Help patients heal without complications. By the end of 2018, preventable complications during a transition from one care setting to another would be decreased so that hospital readmissions would be reduced by 12 percent compared to 2014. 

The HIIN is working quickly to build upon progress achieved from 2012 to 2016, which can be found in the Partnership for Patients Five Year Progress Report.