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First Healthcare Organization in the State to Be Recognized for a Best Practice

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has recognized the GBMC HealthCare System with the 2019 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for best practices, the nation’s highest Presidential honor for performance excellence, in the Leadership Category.




GBMC HealthCare was the only organization cited for best practices in the Leadership Category, which examines how senior executives guide and sustain the organization, and how the organization addresses governance, ethical, legal, and community responsibilities. The GBMC HealthCare System was also the only organization to receive a best practices recognition this year.



"We are tremendously honored to be the first healthcare system in Maryland to be recognized by Baldrige for best practices. Receiving this recognition from the Baldrige Award judges reaffirms our vision and promise ‘to every patient, every time, we will provide the care that we would want for our own loved ones.’ We have learned so much through this incredible experience and we will continue on our journey of improvement."

John B. Chessare, MD, MPH, President and CEO of GBMC HealthCare System

GBMC HealthCare System includes: Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC), a 342-bed medical non-profit hospital (acute and sub-acute care), which handles more than 23,000 admissions and 52,000 emergency room visits annually; GBMC Health Partners, a collective of more than 300 primary care providers, specialists, advanced practice clinicians, and hundreds of support staff; and Gilchrist, Maryland’s largest eldercare company that includes Gilchrist hospice, offering both in-home and inpatient care, with 74 beds split among 3 inpatient units. It provides medical care, grief counseling, and bereavement services to support patients and their families at every stage of serious illness, even before hospice is needed.




GBMC HealthCare is well known for excellence in the Baltimore region. Recent honors and recognitions include:

  • GBMC earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement
  • The Sandra and Malcolm Berman Cancer Institute at GBMC’s Clinical Trials Program was cited as a High Performing Site by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Cancer Institute (NCI)
  • The Gilchrist Sub Acute Unit (SAU) was named a “Best Nursing Home” by U.S. News & World Report
  • GBMC HealthCare was included in the inaugural Forbes list of “America’s Best-in-State Employers”
  • Becker’s Hospital Review magazine listed GBMC among the nation’s “100 Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Oncology Programs”

"I am truly proud of the collaboration between our employees, physicians, volunteers, and partners that emulate our core competency of redesigning care. We want GBMC HealthCare to be the best place for our patients to receive care, the best place for our staff to work, and the best place for our providers to practice."

Keith R. Poisson, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of GBMC HealthCare

The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) manages the Baldrige Award in cooperation with the private sector. An independent board of examiners recommended this year’s Baldrige Award recipients and best practices honorees.




For more information about the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, including profiles of the 2019 recipients, visit https://www.nist.gov/baldrige.

John Lazarou

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