OAKBROOK TERRACE, Illinois, Oct. 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Joint Commission and Kaiser Permanente today announced the winner of the 2026 Bernard J. Tyson Award for Pursuit of Healthcare Equity, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and BJC HealthCare. This prestigious award, established in honor of late Kaiser Permanente Chairman and CEO Bernard J. Tyson, recognizes healthcare organizations and their partners for their efforts in achieving a measurable, sustained reduction in one or more healthcare disparities.
The 2026 Tyson Award was presented to WashU Medicine and BJC HealthCare today at UNIFY 2026™: Convening for Quality, Joint Commission’s annual, flagship two-day conference. The initiative was selected for its efforts to improve urine drug screening (UDS) during the peripartum period, which begins during pregnancy and extends to 6 weeks postpartum. The team identified variation in urine drug screening and reporting practices during the peripartum period. Their review found that Black patients were more likely than White patients to undergo UDS (42% vs. 25%) and be reported to Child Protective Services (9% vs. 3%). While national benchmarks are unmeasured, the limited number of health systems examining these practices have reported similar disparities, highlighting the need for standardized measurement and more equitable, clinically based screening practices.
WashU Medicine and BJC HealthCare launched a system-wide diagnostic stewardship initiative focused on improving screening and ordering practices to address the disparity. Over two years, multidisciplinary leaders from obstetrics, pediatrics, nursing, social work, laboratory medicine, and hospital administration partnered to build consensus, redesign the policy, and implement a clinical decision support (CDS) tool within the electronic health record.
The organizations reduced screening rates by 90% and CPS reporting by 80%, while maintaining infant safety. Throughout the implementation of the improvement initiative, there was no increase in preterm birth, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission, neonatal withdrawal diagnoses, infant length of stay, mortality, or readmissions.
Selection committee panelists commended the initiative for addressing a structural bias that contributed to unnecessary CPS involvement, which also helps keep families together without compromising infant safety or clinical outcomes. They also highlighted the initiative’s impact on reducing stigma, potentially improving outcomes for multiple generations. This initiative can serve as a scalable model for diagnostic stewardship and system-level policy reform to reduce disparities and improve outcomes for all.
“Congratulations to WashU Medicine and BJC HealthCare for their tremendous efforts in reducing disparities in peripartum care,” said Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Joint Commission. “These accomplishments truly embody the spirit of the Tyson Award and stand as a powerful example of patient centered excellence. We commend all team members involved for their dedication to ensuring that all patients receive safe, high-quality healthcare.”
“Congratulations to the teams at WashU Medicine and BJC HealthCare who have demonstrated their commitment to meaningfully addressing healthcare disparities to create a more equitable healthcare system for all,” said Andrew Bindman, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer, Kaiser Permanente. “It is gratifying to see Bernard Tyson’s legacy live on through this work and through all the Tyson Award finalists and winners.”
“On behalf of the teams at WashU Medicine and BJC HealthCare, we are proud to be presented this award by Joint Commission and Kaiser Permanente,” said Dineo Khabele, MD, head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at WashU Medicine and a leader in the Women and Infants Service Line for BJC HealthCare. “This initiative has made a significant impact on our patients and families, and we hope it will serve as a model for other healthcare systems. The award inspires us to continuously improve care delivery and outcomes for all patients, everywhere.”
During this week’s UNIFY 2026™: Convening for Quality conference, leaders each the respective organizations shared their best practices and lessons learned with attendees.
To learn more about the 2026 Tyson awardee, as well as the honorees of Joint Commission’s other award programs, visit Joint Commission’s website: https://www.jointcommission.org/en-us/about-us/recognizing-excellence/awards
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About Joint Commission
Joint Commission enables and affirms the highest standards of healthcare quality and patient safety for all. Founded in 1951, it is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare, evaluating more than 23,000 healthcare organizations and programs across the United States. As an independent, nonprofit organization, Joint Commission inspires healthcare organizations across all settings to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value.
Learn more at www.jointcommission.org.
About UNIFY™
UNIFY™ is Joint Commission’s premier, flagship annual conference dedicated to advancing healthcare quality, patient safety, and organizational excellence. UNIFY fosters thought leadership and amplifies key voices across the healthcare industry, uniting stakeholders to address critical challenges and shape the future of healthcare and patient safety.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.9 million members in 9 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health.
Hannah Miller Joint Commission 630-792-5174 press@jointcommission.org
