From left are Vanderbilt Bedford Hospital’s Jacquelyn Forsythe (Dean), MSN, RN, NE-BC, Jeri Clements, RN, Jarylin Phillips, BSN, RN, Megan Martin, MSN, RN, Anna Welch, BSN, RN, Lori Martin, MBA, BSN, RN, RT(R), Kerri Laughlin, MBA, BSN, RN, Angel Whitaker, BSN, RN, Mike DeFoe, MBA-HCM, Thomas Cervone, DO, MBA, and Syreeta Jordan-Dixon.
Vanderbilt Bedford Hospital has been honored by Vizient as a 2026 Top Performer in the Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD, Quality Leadership Award category in the small community hospital cohort.
The award recognizes a sustained commitment to high-quality care across safety, mortality, effectiveness, efficiency and patient centeredness. The accolade draws on numerous information sources, including Vizient’s clinical database, the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Healthcare Safety Network.
Of the 220 hospitals in the small community hospital cohort, Vanderbilt Bedford Hospital was one of just 24 facilities to receive the award.
“Vanderbilt Bedford Hospital is proud to receive this recognition as a reflection of our commitment to providing high-quality, compassionate care to the more than 50,000 residents we serve across Bedford County and surrounding communities,” said Lori Martin, MBA, BSN, RT(R), Chief Operating Officer/Chief Nursing Officer of VBCH.
“As a 60-bed community hospital, we combine personalized local care with the resources and expertise of Vanderbilt Health. Significant investments in advanced technology, facility enhancements, and employee engagement with collaboration across all areas have strengthened our ability to deliver exceptional patient outcomes close to home. This award recognizes the dedication of our team members, whose commitment to excellence continues to improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve,” Martin said.
The Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD, Quality Leadership Award highlights Vizient provider clients that demonstrate superior performance, as measured by the Vizient Quality and Accountability Study, conducted annually since 2005.
It was posthumously renamed in 2015 to honor Bernard (Bernie) Birnbaum, MD, who served as senior vice president, vice dean and chief of hospital operations for NYU Langone Medical Center and as a member of the former University HealthSystem Consortium’s board of directors.
This year, 1,346 hospitals were included in the survey. Quality leadership performance of patient care is measured in six domains — mortality, efficiency, effectiveness, patient centeredness, safety and variation in care.
The Vizient Quality and Accountability Study helps participating hospitals and health systems understand their performance compared to their peers and identifies structures and processes associated with high performance in quality and safety across a broad spectrum of patient care activity. The recognition period covers July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026.
“Delivering consistently high-quality care requires organizations to align clinical expertise, operational discipline and a continuous focus on improvement,” said David Levine, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Vizient. “The hospitals recognized this year demonstrate what is possible when that commitment is embedded across the organization, resulting in better performance and, most importantly, better care for patients.”
