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.

NJHA's Health Research and Educational Trust was selected by CMS to lead this effort in New Jersey as a "hospital engagement network."

The two goals of Partnership for Patients are:

• Keep patients from getting injured or sicker. By the end of 2013, healthcare-associated conditions (HACs) would decrease by 40 percent compared to 2010. Achieving this goal would mean about 1.8 million fewer injuries to patients, with more than 60,000 lives saved over the next three years.
  
  
• Help patients heal without complications. By the end of 2013, preventable complications during a transition from one care setting to another would be decreased so that hospital readmissions would be reduced by 20 percent compared to 2010. Achieving this goal would mean more than 1.6 million patients could recover from illness without suffering a preventable complication requiring readmission to the hospital within 30 days of discharge.