Roxborough Memorial Hospital has been awarded the 2026 Achievement Award in the Optimal Operations category by The Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP), according to an April 14 announcement. This marks the first time Roxborough Memorial Hospital has received a HAP Achievement Award, with its project selected from among 125 entries statewide.
The award recognizes efforts to improve hospital operations and patient care, highlighting initiatives that benefit both patients and communities. Roxborough’s winning entry focused on revitalizing its Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) through a data-driven strategy aimed at increasing access to post-acute care, improving patient outcomes, boosting community discharges, and optimizing overall hospital functions.
Nicole Stallings, President and CEO of HAP, said, “The 2026 HAP Achievement Awards highlight the innovative ways hospitals are delivering outstanding results for patients. Hospitals are vital to Pennsylvania, working inside and outside their walls to improve health and strengthen the communities they serve.”
Roxborough’s two-year plan addressed several challenges in its IRF: rising demand for rehabilitation services, risks of not meeting healthcare standards, lengthy average stays nearing six days before early 2024, low discharge rates at just over half of patients returning home, and minimal daily census numbers. The strategy included hiring a board-certified physiatrist as IRF Medical Director; providing regular education on IRF benefits; standardizing clinical pathways; integrating outcome measures into electronic records; expanding specialized staff; implementing flexible staffing models; launching mentorship programs; targeted marketing efforts; and embedding performance metrics into dashboards.
Shawn Parekh, Chief Executive Officer of Roxborough Memorial Hospital said: “Our IRF transformation reflects strategic leadership, clinical collaboration, and a strong focus on patient-centered recovery. By aligning clinical standards, workforce capacity, and targeted outreach we have restored the IRF as a reliable pathway to home for patients who previously faced long acute stays or institutional discharges. This recognition from HAP celebrates our team’s dedication and our commitment to excellence in community-based rehabilitation.”
Key contributors included Parekh as CEO along with Melissa Robinson (Rehab Director), Dr. Alfred Schupp (Physiatrist), and Michelle Aliprantis (Regional Director of Marketing). Their collaborative approach covered executive sponsorship through outreach activities vital for achieving measurable improvements in care delivery.
The initiative also emphasized health equity by removing barriers to access—personalizing discharge plans around social determinants of health—and required cultural competence training among staff while enhancing communication support for patients. Designed with scalability in mind across different hospital settings,
the model can be adapted elsewhere for similar improvements in post-acute care outcomes.
Roxborough is one of twelve Pennsylvania projects recognized by HAP this year. Winners will be honored at HAP’s annual Leadership Summit scheduled June 2–3 in Hershey.
