Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

HROs to Fight H1N1

When the H1N1 flu virus emerged in the spring of 2009, U.S. hospitals were challenged by crowded emergency rooms, supply shortages, and difficulty communicating accurate, up-to-date information to staff and the public. Aurora Health Care, a Milwaukee-based integrated health system with 13 hospitals and 100 outpatient clinics, was particularly hard hit, with Wisconsin reporting one of the highest H1N1 incidence rates in the nation. Over the summer, a small group of clinicians and administrators used high-reliability organizational principles to build a new preparedness plan, consisting of an alert system for demand on capacity, trigger points for ordering supplies, and an internal web site for communicating with staff. The plan paid off?when the H1N1 virus returned in the fall of 2009, Aurora Health Care avoided supply shortages, and were able to quickly respond to increases in demand. While the outbreak has since receded, system leaders plan to use the framework for future flu seasons and other scenarios that create a steady, prolonged strain on the system?s capacity.