Gateway Rehab Earns National Quality Improvement Award 
 
PITTSBURGH– Gateway Rehabilitation Center was recently recognized nationally for winning one of the 2008 James W. West, M.D. Quality Improvement Awards. These awards are presented annually to organizations that demonstrate a discipline and commitment to quality improvement and are a member of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP). The award is named after Dr. James W. West, medical director emeritus of the Betty Ford Center and a long-time quality advocate in the addiction treatment field.
 
With growing recognition that revenue was directly linked to the way in which patients enter treatment, Gateway’s organizational leaders suggested creating a team to study the treatment entry process.  After implementing several quality improvements, results indicated that patients began receiving faster access to treatment and a reduction in wait times – which will ultimately help to improve patients’ chances of recovery.   Gateway’s performance improvement effort was led by Pamela Ramsey, Gateway’s executive vice president of administration, quality, and compliance.  Core members of the team included staff from various departments including admissions and evaluation, finance, medical records, and treatment. 
 
"I had the privilege of facilitating an extremely creative, open, and energetic team.  All ideas were genuinely considered.  At the same time, impressions and assumptions were challenged and data measurement was required.  It was this amazing team that transformed how patients now access care,” said Ramsey.
 
Gateway will be presented with the award in May at the 2008 NAATP Annual Conference in Indian Wells, California.  In addition, a four-page article on Gateway’s performance improvement effort, written by Cara Renzelli, Ph.D.,Gateway’s director of research and evaluation, will be featured in the May 2008 issue of the national publication, Behavioral HealthCare Magazine.  Dr. Renzelli also authored the application for the Quality Improvement Award.
 
Gateway was founded in 1972 by Dr. Abraham J. Twerski, internationally recognized authority in the field of chemical dependency treatment, psychiatrist, frequent lecturer, and author of more than 50 self-help related books. Nearly 100,000 individuals have received treatment within the Gateway system, which reaches from Erie, PA to Washington, PA, and Columbus, OH.