• Use of Technology--Good Samaritan Hospital
  Early efforts involved improvements to patient accounting, and more recently have shifted to clinical systems. Technology improvements are directly linked to organizational goals and objectives, and are implemented where automation is appropriate... read more

• Use of Technology--Phelps Memorial Hospital Center
  Phelps Memorial Hospital implemented an electronic medical record system to reduce costs while improving the quality of patient care... read more

Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infections and other
Health Care-Acquired Conditions

• Banding Together for Patient Safety :: Arkansas Hospital Association - October 01, 2010
  This wristband standardization quality and patient safety initiative provides resources for hospitals to use to educate staff and patients, including a... read more

• Benchmarks for Success :: APIC - January 25, 2011
  APIC identified several benchmarks for success for getting to zero...  read more

• CUSP
  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that more than 2 million health care-acquired infections occur in U.S. hospitals each year and approximately 99,000 patients who get these infections die as a result. HAIs also result in $4.5 billion in excess health care costs annually. The AHA's Health Resources & Educational Trust, through a contract with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and in partnership with the Johns Hopkins University Quality and Safety Research Group and the Keystone Center for Patient Safety and Quality of the Michigan Health and Hospital Association, are implementing a nationwide patient safety program proven to dramatically reduce certain health care-acquired infections. Through September 2012, AHRQ will support the national implementation of an educational and technical initiative using the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program and interventions to prevent central line-associated blood stream infections and catheter-associated urinary tract infections. As of July 2010, 1,100 hospital units in 30 states are participating in CUSP. read more
  

• Guide to Infection Prevention for Outpatient Settings: Minimum Expectations for Safe Care
  This document serves as a summary guide of infection prevention recommendations for outpatient (ambulatory care) settings. The recommendations included in this document are not new but rather reflect existing evidence-based guidelines produced by the Centers for Disease Control... read more

• Health Care-Acquired Conditions
  According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), each year, U.S. hospitals experience 1.7 million health-care associated infections (HAIs), causing roughly 99,000 deaths at a cost of $37 to $45 billion. However, hospitals are making strides to reduce, and in some cases eliminate, HAIs. read more

• Health Care-Associated Infections Toolkit :: Premier Inc. - November 12, 2009
  Includes best practices, other Premier information and a variety of links to other information sites...  read more

• Healthy Hospital Practice to Practice Series
  This P2P Series presents case studies of hospitals improving their environments to better support the health of their employees and embody the mission of their organization. read more

• Improving Patient Safety Through Infection Control: A New Healthcare Imperative
  Many healthcare organizations, professional associations, government and accrediting agencies, legislators, regulators, payers, and consumer advocacy groups have advanced the prevention of healthcare-associated infections as a national imperative, stimulating the creation of “A Compendium of Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections in Acute Care Hospitals” in this supplement. In this introduction, we provide background and context and discuss the major issues that shaped the recommendations included in the compendium. read more

• Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare Aims to Reduce the Risk of Wrong Site Surgery
  This project addresses the problem of wrong site surgery using Robust Process Improvement methods. RPI is a fact-based, systematic, and data-driven problem-solving methodology. It incorporates tools, concepts and methods from Lean Six Sigma and change management methodologies... read more

• On the CUSP: Stop BSI :: Health Research & Educational Trust - November 12, 2009
  Through a contract with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, HRET, in partnership with the Johns Hopkins University Quality and Safety Research...  read more

• Prevent Central :: Prevent Infection - May 01, 2009
  A comprehensive web site from APIC offering tools, articles and newsletters...  read more

• The Push to Eliminate Central-Line Infections
  John Combes, M.D., president of the Center for Healthcare Governance, talks to H&HN Senior Online Editor Haydn Bush about the "On the CUSP: Stop BSI" program to eliminate central line-associated bloodstream infections...  read more

• Safe Practices for Better Healthcare :: National Quality Forum - April 01, 2010
  The National Quality Forum has developed a compendium of tools around evidence-based safety practices for use by hospitals and health systems. The tools...  read more

• A Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract infection Prevention Team Models Best Practices and Improves Outcomes
  The hospital introduced catheter-associated urinary tract infection reduction bundles and reduced incidence of CAUTI. read more

• Accountability at Every Level
  According to the Centers for Disease Control, hand hygiene is the simplest, most effective measure for preventing nosocomial infections, but hospitals...  read more

• Best Practices for Central-Line Use
  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 248,000 bloodstream infections occur in U.S. hospitals each year, a large proportion of w...  read more

• Bundle Me Up! Using Central Line Bundles to Decrease Infection
  The hospital reduced CLASBI by monitoring compliance with bundles and educating staff....  read more

• CAUTI Reduced By Getting Docs Onboard
  Urinary tract infections are the most common infections in hospitals. The majority are caused by instrumentation with a urinary catheter. Catheter-as...  read more

• Collaboration to Prevent Infections
  In 2007, the Keystone Center for Patient Safety and Quality partnered with the Michigan Health and Hospital Association and Blue Cross Blue Shield of...  read more

• Eliminating Central Line Bloodstream Infections in the ICU: A Team Effort
  The hospital achieved a zero CLASBI rate for more than one year by implementing best practices and educating staff...  read more

• Reduce Surgical Site Infections
  This program reduced flash sterilization usage by 85 percent; surgical site infection rate by 20 percent; and incision and deep incision infection rates by 50 percent.  read more

• Save Our Skin: Preventing Pressure Ulcers
  Nearly one million people develop pressure ulcers each year, and 60,000 U.S. hospital patients die annually from complications related to pressure...  read more

• Using a Multidisciplinary Team Approach to Reduce Nosocomial Clostridium Difficle
  Members of the interdisciplinary team created a Best Practice Manual for Prevention and Control of Transmission of C Diff. The team used a number of key initiatives including proper isolation and training 40 staff members as infection prevention coaches who "spread the word" about best practices to decrease transmission of all infections.  read more

Readmissions

• Complications from surgery; Florida hospitals join forces to cut readmissions :: Orlando Sentinel - July 18, 2010
  The article details a comprehensive effort by the Florida Hospital Association and the American College of Surgeons to track readmission rates tied to...  read more

• Hospitals take steps to keep patients safe, and at home :: Market Watch - August 24, 2010
  The article describes hospitals' efforts to reduce readmissions as Medicare efforts to reduce payments for avoidable readmissions intensify. These...  read more

• Member Update on Reducing Readmissions
  NAPH administered an online survey to quality directors at 101 NAPH member organizations. Respondents from 51 safety-net facilities completed the survey, which asked quality directors to describe how they are focusing efforts to reduce readmission, the barriers they encounter and the strategies they use.  read more

• Discharge Planning on Admission
  Patient satisfaction surveys showed low scores—in the 30th and 40th percentiles—on survey questions related to discharge, such as...  read more

• Home Care Demonstration Project to Reduce Hospital Readmissions
  A telehealth home care program was established, lowering readmission rates for chronic pulmonary obstrucive disease patients.  read more

• Using In-Home Telemonitoring to Reduce Rehospitalization
  According to the American Heart Association, heart failure affects about 5.7 million Americans, with 670,000 new cases reported each year. Patients...  read more

Mortality

• Foundations in Infection Control
  Foundations in Infection Control is an online educational product developed by infection control experts from Joint Commission Resources and the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. This foundational course integrates microbiology, epidemiology and patient care practices as applied to a population-focused practice and provides major emphasis on risk identification and prevention strategies. read more

• Hand-off Communications :: Joint Commission for Transforming Healthcare - August 01, 2009
  Poor hand-off communications have been identified as a contributing factor to sentinel events with severe consequences to patients. This project works to...  read more

• The Burden of Falls in Wisconsin :: Wisconsin Department of Health Services - August 01, 2010
  This report documents the public health implications of falls in Wisconsin, both at home in and in health care facilities, noting that overall, falls have...  read more

• Checklist-Guided Process Reduces Surgery-Related Mortality and Complications
  The University of Washington Medical Center uses a checklist-guided process for all surgeries to ensure appropriate care steps occur before incision and...  read more

• Focusing on Patients to Reduce Falls
  After examining hospital data to pinpoint opportunities to improve, Gundersen Lutheran focused on patient falls. Patient falls made up the...  read more

• Improving Patient Recovery after Surgery 
  Major abdominal surgery, such as elective colon surgery or major hernia repair, is high risk. After surgery, patients typically have long stays in...  read more

• Work Design--Seton Northwest Hospital 
  This hospital was one of three hospitals selected to participate in a phase-one pilot project to create an innovative model for delivering patient care in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Institute of Healthcare Improvement...  read more