HPOE.org - Case Studies

Safety Culture Commitment

Spectrum Health System — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:00:00 CST

As patient safety increasingly became a priority concern nationwide, Spectrum Health System realized it needed to have the right prevention processes and vigilance infrastructure in place to ensure utmost safety of patient care. For the processes and infrastructure to be effective, the system first had to instill the unrelenting attention and resolve necessary to prevent errors and guard against patient harm—a culture of safety.

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Improving AMI in the ED

Lehigh Valley Hospital — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 00:00:00 CST

The length of time it took for patients to begin treatment for AMI after arriving at the ED of Lehigh Valley Hospital was averaging 30 to 60 minutes longer than the acknowledged standards for timely care. The extra decision time associated with recommending one of two possible treatment paths—thrombolytics or angioplasty—was a significant factor contributing to delays. This was in 1999, before the cardiology field settled on angioplasty as the clear preference for treating AMI patients.

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Improving ED Flow through the UMLN II--St. Francis Hospital

St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:00:00 CST

Under the Urgent Matters Collaborative, St. Francis implemented a quick registration and rapid triage process to improve patient flow for non-emergent patients....

Improving ED Flow through the UMLN II--Good Samaritan

Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:00:00 CST

Under the Urgent Matters collaborative, Good Samaritan implemented a strategy to immediately direct a subset of ESI III patients to a dedicated physician and NP....

Improving ED Flow through the UMLN II--Hahneman Hospital

Hahnemann University Hospital — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:00:00 CST

Upon joining the Urgent Matters collaborative, three improvements were adopted: the implementation of the ESI 5-level triage system; a policy of immediately bringing patients to an open bed for triage and registration ; and dedicated space, staffing and resources for fast track....

Improving ED Flow through the UMLN II--Westmoreland Hospital

Westmoreland Regional Hospital — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:00:00 CST

Under the Urgent Matters collaborative, Westmoreland adopted an inpatient report tool as a part of a larger "Building a Bridge" strategy to improve communication between the ED and inpatient floors....

Improving ED Flow through the UMLN II--Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:00:00 CST

A team from the ED used the Lean methodology process to identify problems and streamline processes. The improvements included: a dedicated fast track team consisting of a nurse practitioner, nurse and tech; improved signage at the ED entrance; and readily available resources and supplies for fast track staff....

Culture Change Stops Infection

Texas Health Resources — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 00:00:00 CST

Hospital-acquired infections are a dangerous problem for providers. A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, released in February 2010, showed that in 2006, hospital-acquired sepsis and pneumonia caused 48,000 deaths and cost $8.1 billion in treatment. But long before this study came out, senior leadership at Texas Health Resources, a 14-hospital system headquartered in Arlington, saw hospital-acquired infections as something that had to be eliminated.

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Engaging Leadership to Improve Patient Safety

Cathlic Healthcare Partners — Mon, 24 May 2010 00:00:00 CST

In 2005 Catholic Healthcare Partners (CHP) conducted its first AHRQ Patient Safety Culture Assessment, that showed several opportunities for improvement including teamwork, handoffs and transitions, nonpunitive response to errors and organizational learning. These results highlighted the importance of culture for improving safety and provided the impetus for making changes at CHP. “We are very metric driven,” says Michael D. Connelly, CHP president and CEO. “We were going to do ano...

C-Section SSI Prevention Efforts

Medical Center of McKinney — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 00:00:00 CST

According to the World Health Organization, women who have cesarean sections when giving birth are five times more likely to develop a postpartum infection than are women who have vaginal deliveries, and the incidence of surgical site infections (SSIs) with C-sections ranges from 1.50 to 2.64. In 2006 the infection prevention and control department of the Medical Center of McKinney reported that the hospital’s SSI rate associated with C-sections was above national benchmarks.

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