UPMC Earns Excellence Recognition with 2025 HAP Achievement Awards
By: Sierra Lomax
UPMC has been honored with two 2025 Achievement Awards from the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP). These awards recognize Pennsylvania hospitals and health systems that have made significant improvements in patient care and innovation.
Excellence in Care – Large Division, UPMC Magee-Women’s Hospital
UPMC received the Excellence in Care Award for its initiative to improve the way early-onset sepsis is handled in newborns across 15 UPMC birth centers. Early-onset sepsis (EOS) is a rare but serious condition in newborns. However, it is a challenge to identify and treat affected babies without unnecessary testing or giving antibiotics to healthy babies who don’t need them. The goal of this initiative was to implement standardized screening to reduce the use of antibiotics by 10% given to newborns. The results were impressive, reducing the number of newborns who received unnecessary antibiotics by 55%.
“We are incredibly proud of the hard work and commitment of our frontline staff and team members across the entire system. Without them, these results would not have been possible.” said Gysella Muniz, M.D., regional director of quality newborn care at UPMC.
Another success of this project was decreasing the number of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) admissions, keeping babies with their mothers after delivery and promoting mother-baby bonding.
“As a large healthcare system, we aim for an integrated and holistic approach, where the focus shifts from treating illness and its consequences, to prioritizing prevention, education and early detection,” said Greg Barretto, M.D., M.S., M.B.A., UPMC regional medical director for newborn medicine. “We work hard to standardize and implement high quality and evidence-based practices across the entire system.”
Excellence in Care – Small/Medium Division, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
Globally, one in five perinatal women experience a mental health disorder, which is a leading cause of maternal mortality.
“Addressing and improving mental health interventions for perinatal women is crucial because maternal mental health significantly impacts the well-being of the mother, child and others in the family unit,” said Meredith L. Spada, M.D., associate program director of psychiatry residency at the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Psychiatry. “By focusing on early detection and comprehensive care, we can prevent severe outcomes, promote healthier pregnancies and support the long-term health of families. Our goal is to ensure that every woman receives the mental health support she needs during this critical period.”
Clinicians at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital looked at six key interventions to improve engagement with perinatal mental health services:
1. Workforce expansion
2. Intake blitz to improve access
3. Spectrum of care expansion for perinatal-specific intensive outpatient programs
4. Increasing telepsychiatry services
5. Implementing a warm handoff program
6. Providing hospital-based trauma-informed care
By addressing these six components, barriers to care were reduced, wait times decreased and overall outcomes improved.
“This award recognizes the dedication of UPMC Western Behavioral Health clinicians in improving access to care and the quality of care for perinatal women,” said Kelly O’Toole, director of clinical care services at UPMC Western Behavioral Health. “This approach was done in collaboration with UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. Notably, the integration and coordination between Western’s perinatal outpatient program, Magee Behavioral Health, the perinatal intensive outpatient programs, and the hospital-based psychiatry consultation-liaison teams highlight the importance of specialty services working together to best serve the community.”
The HAP Achievement Awards celebrate initiatives that have made notable contributions to the health and well-being of communities throughout the commonwealth.
The award-winning initiatives from UPMC highlight advancements in key areas such as improving patient outcomes, enhancing operational efficiencies and promoting community health. These programs exemplify UPMC’s continuous pursuit of solutions that contribute to a healthier Pennsylvania.
The winners will be honored at HAP’s annual Leadership Summit from May 12-13 in Hershey, Pa.
