In many ways, 2022 was Children’s of Alabama’s busiest year ever. Throughout the year, we navigated challenging situations—from record COVID-19 numbers to surges of RSV and flu cases to staffing shortages and supply chain issues. But it didn’t stop us from succeeding. In June, U.S. News & World Report ranked us in a three-way tie for the No. 1 children’s hospital in the Southeast. Ten of our specialties ranked among the nation’s top 50. This achievement is a testament to the character, dedication and expertise of our talented team.
But it’s far from our only point of pride. Improving patient safety and outcomes will always be one of our top priorities, and we’re proud of our work in those areas as well, including the 74% decrease we saw in serious safety events.
Now, we’re taking the next step toward improvement by moving to a new healthcare information platform—Epic. The transition, which we completed in March 2023, took more than two years of work by staff across the hospital. Now in use, Epic allows us to align patient records, billing and workflows throughout our services. This helps us provide better service and care.
In this year’s Children’s of Alabama Year in Review, you’ll read about these achievements and more. All have come in the face of the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has changed so much of what we do, yet it hasn’t stopped us from serving effectively. In this new healthcare world, we continue to adapt to meet our patients’ needs.
In 2022, we also unveiled a new communication initiative: We Are Here. This mantra is central to what we do. It’s our way of reminding the public that no matter what’s going on in the world, we won’t stop—the big, red circle in Birmingham’s skyline will keep shining. From our physicians to our nurses to our academic faculty and our staff, We Are Here to care for children in Alabama and beyond. We are proud to make a difference in their lives and in the world of medicine.
Sincerely,
Thomas G. Shufflebarger, FACHE
President and CEO