Case Studies
July 2009-October 2011 baseline data for the blood culture contamination rate in the ED showed it was averaging 4.6 percent, above the national average of 3 percent. The ED staff had unsuccessfully tried various interventions to reduce the rate of contaminated blood cultures. In September 2011, a…
The project was to develop an infrastructure for a falls prevention program based on nursing fall risk assessment augmented by key information from the electronic medical record to support clinical practice standards and effective prevention strategies to decrease falls and fall-related injuries.…
A performance improvement project was initiated to reduce the number of elective inductions and cesarean sections.
In 2009, a multi-pronged approach involving all stakeholders was launched aimed at early identification and treatment to reduce inpatient sepsis mortality.
As part of Blueprint for Health (a statewide, public-private initiative authorized by the Vermont legislature), the largely rural St. Johnsbury health service area supports its six patient-centered medical home practices via a multidisciplinary team that provides preventive, chronic disease and…
Phase I consisted of developing and implementing protocols for cases presenting to the emergency department within 30 days of hospital discharge. Interventions included identifying potential readmissions during ED triage and paging key team members with every potential readmission. The teams and…
The all-cause, 30-day readmission rates for the hospital are higher than both the state and national average for all three quality indicators (AMI, CHF and community-acquired pneumonia). In January 2011, the hospital started a new CQI+ team to implement the Illinois Hospital Association Project Re…
To align the hospital ministry with the needs of the community and to reduce avoidable health care costs, a multifaceted approach to reducing the number of potentially avoidable hospital readmissions was developed for the heart failure population. This approach included: a focus on in-hospital…
Noting an upward trend in central line-associated blood stream infections, the hospital joined the Illinois Hospital Association Patient Safety Collaborative to 'Stop BSI.' The infection control committee established a goal to decrease CLABSI to below the National Healthcare Safety Network pooled…
Using a sequential rapid cycle improvement process to implement evidence-based practices for central line blood stream infection prevention, the hospital reduced its critical care central line blood stream infection rate from 14.6 per 1,000 device days in 2004 to zero for the past 57 months. A…