Hospital Awards

Meritus Medical Center has been named Best Hospital in the VerStandig Media Best of the Tristate 2023.

The announcement comes after more than two years of never-before-seen challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of the Meritus family have been working diligently and with precise expertise to be there for their community during this unprecedented time.

"The past two years have been full of unprecedented challenges for all of us. Our dedicated healthcare heroes have been there in many ways for this community so earning our community’s votes means so much to us,” said President and CEO, Dr. Maulik Joshi. “We continue to do all we can to provide the very best in care, and are so proud to work for and with this community. We are so proud to be voted Best Hospital by the tri-state region.”

Meritus is honored to be able to provide the best care in our region to our patients and their families.​

• Best Urgent Care: Meritus Urgent Care
• Best Cardiologist: Dr. Jeffrey Jones
• Best Cardiology Practice: Meritus Hagerstown Heart
• Best Nurse: Melanie Starr
• Best Nurse: Karlie Mundey
• Best Plastic Surgeon: Dr. Salvatore DiMercurio
• Best Physical Therapist: Heidi Smith, MSPT
• Best Pediatrician: Dr. Anand Budi

Meritus Medical Center received an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit upholding the standard of patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. This national distinction celebrates Meritus’ achievements in prioritizing patient safety by protecting patients from preventable harm and errors. The new grades reflect performance primarily during the height of the pandemic.

"This top-quality rating is a testament to the dedication of our Meritus teams who are continuously working to improve quality and patient safety,” said Carrie Adams, Pharm.D., Chief Operating Officer.

“Our hospital has a goal of zero harm and we work hard each day to create the culture of safety needed to support our patients. Caring for our neighbors is an absolute privilege and ensuring that care is provided in a safe and healing environment is a top priority. Thank you all for being an ‘A’ each day,” Adams said.

The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm. 

“This new update of Hospital Safety Grades shows that, at the national level, we saw deterioration in patient safety with the pandemic,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “But this hospital received an ‘A’ despite those challenges. I congratulate all the leaders, staff, volunteers and clinicians who together made that possible.”

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.

Meritus Health was named the 2022 Employer of the Year during the 68^th Annual Power of Work Awards presented by Horizon Goodwill Industries, Inc.

“The partnership we have with Horizon Goodwill is one that benefits the community as a whole. We are two community-focused organizations and have many of the same goals, so it was a natural fit,” said Dave Lehr, chief strategy officer.

In a workforce development initiative, the two organizations partnered, along with Maryland Physicians Care, to launch the Pathway to Healthcare Careers program in fall 2022.

The program has proven success, with applicants who were hired in the fall obtaining a retention bonus of $500 in April. Additionally, all of the team members hired through the Pathway to Healthcare program were impacted when Meritus raised its minimum wage to $17/hour.

“We are working together to find positions to suit the skills of some of the clients at Goodwill,” Lehr said. “We’ve hired food and nutrition aids, environmental services workers, receptionists and more,” he added.

The team members are provided great benefits and pay, while gaining access to career advancement opportunities. Goodwill provides transportation when needed, and support to ensure the team members have a good work- and home-life.

“We’re honored to receive this award from Horizon Goodwill, but we’re even more honored to be able to share the outcomes of our initiatives that demonstrate not only the power of work, but the power of working together,” Lehr said.

Meritus Health was named one of three finalists for the Foster G. McGaw Prize for its Go for Bold! campaign to lose 1 million community pounds by increasing physical activity, encouraging healthy eating habits, and improving stress management and mental well-being for community members. In addition, Meritus and the Washington County Health Department co-chair a coalition of 55 public and private community organizations, with initiatives that include increasing awareness of blood pressure risk and improving overall health and well-being. Meritus has also implemented an innovative Care Caller program where lonely community members receive weekly calls from Meritus employees and volunteers to check in, which has resulted in people feeling less lonely.

About the Foster G. McGaw Prize
The Foster G. McGaw Prize recognizes health care organizations that are committed to community service through a range of programs that demonstrate a passion and continuous commitment to making communities healthier and more vital. The prize, first awarded in 1986, inspires hospitals, health systems and communities to assess and implement programs that improve their communities. For more information, visit www.aha.org/fostermcgaw.

Full details can be found here. 

Meritus Health’s outpatient physical and occupational therapy team has been named a 2022 Human Experience Guardian of Excellence Award winner by Press Ganey, a national recognition given to organizations whose patients are the happiest with their care.

“This recognition shows how hard we work to be centered around our patients, and getting to know them on an individual level,” according to Anna Peterson, clinical manager. “We are dedicated to always finding the best insight into how to continuously raise the bar in taking care of the communities we serve,” she added.

Meritus Health’s outpatient physical therapy team provides patients a continuity of care with therapists, and a 1:1 patient/therapist ratio.

Meritus Medical Center has received two American Heart Association Achievement Awards for implementing quality improvement measures that ensure stroke patients receive efficient and coordinated care, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer returns to the hospital.

Meritus Medical Center received the Get with the Guidelines, Gold Plus Level, for Stroke Honor Roll Elite and Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll.

The awards are based on quality achievement and are presented to health systems that show a commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.

“We are honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association for our dedication to helping our patients have the best possible chance of survival and recovery after cardiovascular events,” said Carrie Adams, Chief Operating Officer for Meritus Health.

Read more here.

Meritus Health was recognized with the 2022 Partnership for Excellence Platinum level Governor’s Award for Excellence.

This recognition is based on the Malcolm Baldrige performance excellence criteria and is the highest state level.

All applicants were rigorously evaluated by an independent board of examiners in seven areas defined by the Baldrige Excellence Framework: leadership; strategy; customers; measurement, analysis, and knowledge management; workforce; operations; and results.

“I am thrilled Meritus Health has earned the Platinum level Governor’s Award for Excellence from The Partnership for Excellence,” said Maulik Joshi, Dr.P.H., President and CEO. “This prestigious recognition speaks to the unwavering dedication of our teams in supporting the health needs of the community we serve.”

The evaluation process for each of the recipients included more than 1,000 hours of review and a site visit by a team of examiners to clarify questions and verify information in the application. Site visits were conducted virtually or via a hybrid approach of in-person and virtual. An independent panel of judges reviewed each organization’s evaluation, approved the final feedback reports, and developed award recommendations.

Meritus Health’s program to prevent type 2 diabetes has been honored with Full Plus Recognition, the highest distinction from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A program with a highly-successful track record, it highlights the health system’s commitment to improving the health of the region.

Full Plus Recognition not only means that Meritus consistently enrolled and engaged participants for one year, but that lifestyle coaches helped participants to achieve their goals and meet 5% weight loss, 4% weight loss and 150 minutes of activity each week or a reduction in participant A1C by .2% or more.

Meeting these goals reduces a participant's risk of developing diabetes by over 50%.

“While our in-person class already has this honor, we’ve been notified by the CDC that our virtual program has also been recognized. The pandemic has shown us that many things can be accomplished just as well virtually, and we’re proving that with success in this virtual class,” said Norma Patterson, diabetes prevention coordinator.

For resources, including the Type 2 risk test, and information on the Meritus Health diabetes prevention program, click here.