NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Inpatient Lean Team Recognized for Operational Excellence by America’s Essential Hospitals
The 2026 Gage Award honorable mention recognizes the hospital’s operational improvements to patient flow and access to care
The improvements led to an 82% decrease in the hospital’s average ED boarding times
Jun 11, 2026
New York, NY – NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue today announced that its Inpatient Lean Team has been recognized by America’s Essential Hospitals. The association awarded NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue a 2026 Gage Award honorable mention for operational excellence at a June 11 luncheon at the VITAL2026 conference in Minneapolis.
The Inpatient Lean Team is a hospital-wide operational improvement initiative designed to improve patient flow and optimize inpatient capacity in the emergency department (ED). Core objectives include reclaiming unusable inpatient beds, accelerating discharges and room turnover, prioritizing interfacility transfers, and fostering real-time problem solving across clinical and operational teams. Following implementation, Bellevue Hospital achieved sustained, month-over-month reductions, with an 82% decrease in average ED boarding times.
“As a practicing emergency room physician, I know firsthand that emergency department overcrowding can negatively impact the quality, safety, and experience of patient care, as well as staff morale,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Chief Executive Officer Eric Wei, MD, MBA. “Through teamwork, data-driven problem solving, and a relentless focus on patient flow, our Inpatient Lean Team has helped transform the care experience at Bellevue Hospital. I am grateful to our team for their extraordinary commitment to reducing wait times and enhancing patient care.”
“Over the past few years, Bellevue Hospital has seen a dramatic increase in admissions, with average daily census going from around 600 patients a few years ago to now typically over 800 patients,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Chief Medical Officer Amit Uppal, MD, co-chair of the Inpatient Lean Team. “Some of the contributing factors have included increased transfers of patients with complex healthcare needs from other hospitals, the closing of nearby safety net hospitals, and a general upswing in demand for care following the height of the COVID pandemic. Throughout this time, we have remained steadfast in our mission to care for New Yorkers.”
“This recognition reflects Bellevue Hospital’s belief that operational excellence is patient care,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Chief Operations Officer Erfan Karim, MPH, co-chair of the Inpatient Lean Team. “As demand for services has continued to grow, our teams have reimagined how patients move through the hospital, transforming capacity challenges into opportunities to improve access, efficiency, and the patient experience. The Inpatient Lean Team demonstrates what is possible when frontline staff, clinicians, and operational leaders unite around a shared mission: ensuring every patient receives the right care at the right time.”
America’s Essential Hospitals represents more than 400 hospitals dedicated to high-quality care for all, including those who face social and financial barriers to care. The Gage Awards, named after association founder Larry Gage, honor and share successful and creative member hospital programs that improve patient care and meet community needs. The Gage Award for operational excellence honors programs that transform operations to improve efficiency, workforce engagement, and service delivery.
“Our essential hospitals continuously innovate to build health care for the future and meet the needs of their communities,” says Jennifer DeCubellis, MA, president and CEO of America’s Essential Hospitals. “The Gage Awards not only honor these mission commitments and problem-solving but also help us spread what works so all communities benefit.”
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MEDIA CONTACT: 212-562-4516; BellevuePublicRelations@nychhc.org
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About NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue
NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue is America’s oldest public hospital, established in 1736. Affiliated with the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the 851-bed hospital is a major referral center for highly complex cases, with 6,000 employees including highly skilled, interdisciplinary clinical staff. The hospital is a Level I Trauma Center and annually it sees about 110,000 emergency room visits, and more than 520,000 outpatient visits. Clinical centers of excellence include: Emergency Medicine and Trauma Care; Cardiovascular Services; Bariatric Surgery; Designated Regional Perinatal Center and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; Children’s Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program; and Cancer Services. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org/bellevue/ and follow us on Facebook and X (Twitter).
About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlusHealth—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 46,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.