Case Studies
After learning of the '90 minute' standard of care for providing definitive treatment for cardiac patients, the team was charged with making recommendations to reach the '90 minute' goal. Records from 2006 found that in some instances it took as long as 7.5 hours to get patients from the emergency…
Presence St. Joseph's Medical Center's project implemented interventions to maintain patient functional mobility to avoid de-conditioning that occurs during inpatient hospitalization including, but not limited to, hospital-acquired wounds, while maintaining fall prevention best practices. The team…
Medical center evidence pointed to a delay in surgery beyond 48 hours for hip fracture patients as a contributing factor to poor patient outcomes and increased mortality. A team comprised of academic and community physicians and hospital quality and process experts was formed to address the times…
When River Hospital, Alexandria Bay, N.Y., identified an unmet mental health need for active duty military members of the community, it opened a community wellness program to address the post traumatic stress disorder treatment needs of the soldiers at nearby Fort Drum.
A patient's home environment or lack of support system can have a negative impact on their health and result in preventable hospital readmissions. The case managers and social workers from Bassett Healthcare Network understand this and often help patients resolve non-medical issues to improve…
The feeling of being truly cared for leaves a lasting impression and aids in the healing process. That is why Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Queens, N.Y., launched an initiative to change the emphasis of patient care from service to hospitality.
...and therefore decrease the hospital's financial risk as part of health care reform, increase compliance with CHF core measures and provide a structure to reapply similar strategies across all diagnoses Data suggests that the hospital has a three year (2006-2009) CHF readmission average of 24.2…
Efforts to Eliminate Elective Deliveries Prior to 39 Weeks and Reduce Numbers of Elective Inductions
The decision was made to proceed with efforts to eliminate elective deliveries prior to 39 weeks and reduce numbers of elective inductions. A variety of process improvements occurred including extensive physician and nursing education, a detailed induction policy and the implementation of an…
In the 2010 reporting period (July 2009-June 2010), the medical center's incidence of early elective deliveries without medical justification per Leapfrog definitions was 33.5 percent. A gap was identified between their internal data and Leapfrog reported data. The department of obstetrics and…
The ER blood culture contamination rate remained above the national target even after implementing evidence-based practices. A blood culture collection team with designated staff from the ER was formed. They received education on proper blood culture collection protocols including the importance of…