Healthcare Benchmarks and Quality Improvement Archives – February 1, 2011
February 1, 2011
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Quality approach, hard-wiring, repetition lead to excellence
With so many conditions and processes to worry about, not to mention all the organizations that require performance data, it's a wonder that a quality manager can keep a handle on all of them. But at Payson (AZ) Regional Medical Center (PRMC), the quality team seems not only to be addressing all of them, but also to be excelling in several areas at once. -
'Targeted' EHR use can reduce unnecessary tests
A recent study conducted by Kaiser Permanente's Institute for Health Research has shown that unnecessary medical tests can be reduced when targeted alerts are used in electronic health record (EHR) systems. -
Best implementation techniques not enough
You've successfully identified an important area for quality improvement. You've researched all the literature and identified best practices. You've even joined a nationwide collaborative so you can learn from the successes of top performers. Your odds of success are pretty good, right? -
Patient ed affects patient satisfaction
What role does patient education play in patient satisfaction scores for health care organizations? How important is patient education to the patient's opinion of the entire health care experience? -
Think of RM as a profit center, not an expense
Here's a radical idea: Instead of trying to show management why your department is worthy of respect, go on the offensive and declare that risk management is a profit center every bit as much as that shiny new cardiac center or the plastic surgery clinic. -
'No-wait' ED a five-year success
A true test of the success of a process improvement initiative is whether the results can be sustained, and the ED at Hudson Valley Hospital Center in Cortlandt Manor, NY, has just celebrated the fifth anniversary of its "no wait" process. -
Prepare for rising liability costs
Hospitals and physicians should prepare for increasing liability costs, according to the 2010 Hospital Professional Liability and Physician Liability Benchmark Analysis created by Aon Risk Solutions, the global risk management business of Aon Corporation, in conjunction with the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) in Chicago. -
Department redesign leads to cuts in LOS
Since North Oaks Health System redesigned its case management program and assigned its RN case managers by physicians, the average length of stay has decreased by a half a day, one-day stays have decreased to within state and national averages, and the readmissions rate has decreased by 43%. -
Websites providing easy-to-read info
As a consumer health librarian at The Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus, Abigail Jones, MLIS, MS, has become skilled at selecting websites that provide appropriate information for patients and families who may not read well or have low health literacy.