By Lisa Kipps
At 9 o’clock in the morning Monday through Friday at St. Joseph Hospital, you’ll find the leadership team just standing around talking. And that’s a good thing.It’s called the Safety Huddle.
During the huddle, leaders representing every department in the facility go through a seven-point patient safety agenda.
No. 1: A quick update on key patient safety statistics, including how many days since the last serious safety event, how many days since the last patient fall, and the current patient loyalty score.
No. 2: What’s happened in the past 24 hours related to patient safety or patient experience?
No. 3: Any follow-ups to issues from the previous day? The expectation is that issues are to be resolved within 24 hours.
No. 4: Anything anticipated for today that could become a safety concern?
No. 5: Any good safety catches or great patient experience stories? The stories help St. Joseph identify heroes and assures that what one department learns is shared with all.
No. 6: Any announcements?
No. 7: The final item is a brief prayer, assuring that every member of the team leaves the huddle thinking about his or her reason for being there that day — to care for patients in the best way possible.
April will mark the one-year anniversary of the Safety Huddle. Eighty percent of the time it’s led by the president of St. Joseph Hospital, Kathy Young, MS, FACHE. Each individual department has their own safety huddles, too. The message at St.Joseph is crystal clear: Patient Safety is the No. 1 priority. There isn’t a single employee who does not know that.
Meeting in a huddle instills a sense of teamwork.
“The beauty of huddle is it strengthens the sense of team,” said John Rudy, PhD, executive director of diagnostic and treatment services. “When there’s a problem, it’s not ‘there’s a maintenance problem or a housekeeping problem or whatever.’ It’s our problem.”
To read full article please visit
http://www.kokomoperspective.com/news/local_news/st-joseph-s-leadership-team-focuses-on-safety/article_5fdbfd9a-5586-11e0-85e0-001cc4c03286.html
Monday, March 28, 2011
WSJ Interviews Dr. Pronovost about Patient Safety and Limiting Hospital Infections
Laura Landro interviewed Dr. Pronovost in the Wall Street Journal
By Laura Landro
As medical director for Johns Hopkins University's Center for Innovation in Quality Patient Care, Peter Pronovost, 46, has spent most of his career as a champion of innovative but practical solutions to fix system flaws that can lead to deadly mistakes and complications in hospitals. That mission took on new urgency in 2001, after 18-month-old Josie King died at Johns Hopkins following missteps in her care.
Dr. Pronovost's current crusade is preventing deadly bloodstream infections linked to central lines or catheters used in intensive-care units. A pilot project in Michigan showed that participating hospitals reduced rates of hospital acquired infections and death by using a checklist of evidence-based steps to reduce the infections—and by fostering a culture of patient safety and teamwork.
Dr. Pronovost's boyish appearance and enthusiastic manner belie a steely determination to challenge the status quo in medicine. He hasn't shied away from criticizing his peers for resisting safety and quality improvement efforts, a theme of his 2009 book "Safe Patients, Smart Hospitals."
To read rest of article and interview please visit
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704364004576131963185893084.html?mod=wsj_share_twitter
By Laura Landro
As medical director for Johns Hopkins University's Center for Innovation in Quality Patient Care, Peter Pronovost, 46, has spent most of his career as a champion of innovative but practical solutions to fix system flaws that can lead to deadly mistakes and complications in hospitals. That mission took on new urgency in 2001, after 18-month-old Josie King died at Johns Hopkins following missteps in her care.
Dr. Pronovost's current crusade is preventing deadly bloodstream infections linked to central lines or catheters used in intensive-care units. A pilot project in Michigan showed that participating hospitals reduced rates of hospital acquired infections and death by using a checklist of evidence-based steps to reduce the infections—and by fostering a culture of patient safety and teamwork.
Dr. Pronovost's boyish appearance and enthusiastic manner belie a steely determination to challenge the status quo in medicine. He hasn't shied away from criticizing his peers for resisting safety and quality improvement efforts, a theme of his 2009 book "Safe Patients, Smart Hospitals."
To read rest of article and interview please visit
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704364004576131963185893084.html?mod=wsj_share_twitter
100 Top Hospitals Award Winners Announced- Rankings include Patient Safety
Thomson Reuters has annouced their 100 Top Hospital award winners.Their study evaluates performance in ten areas: mortality; medical complications; patient safety; average patient stay; expenses; profitability; patient satisfaction; adherence to clinical standards of care; post-discharge mortality; and readmission rates for acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), heart failure, and pneumonia. The study has been conducted annually since 1993.
."This year's 100 Top Hospitals award winners have delivered exemplary results, despite volatility from healthcare reform," said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president at Thomson Reuters.For the 100 Top Hospitals study, Thomson Reuters researched almost three thousand short-term, acute care, non-federal hospitals. The information all comes from public informationinluding - Medicare cost reports, Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data, and core measures and patient satisfaction data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare website.
The study concludes that if all Medicare inpatients received the same level of care as those treated in the award-winning facilities:
* Nearly 116,000 additional patients would survive each year.
* More than 197,000 patient complications would be avoided annually.
* Expense per adjusted discharge would drop by $462.
* The average patient stay would decrease by half a day.
For more information, please visit www.100tophospitals.com
."This year's 100 Top Hospitals award winners have delivered exemplary results, despite volatility from healthcare reform," said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president at Thomson Reuters.For the 100 Top Hospitals study, Thomson Reuters researched almost three thousand short-term, acute care, non-federal hospitals. The information all comes from public informationinluding - Medicare cost reports, Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data, and core measures and patient satisfaction data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare website.
The study concludes that if all Medicare inpatients received the same level of care as those treated in the award-winning facilities:
* Nearly 116,000 additional patients would survive each year.
* More than 197,000 patient complications would be avoided annually.
* Expense per adjusted discharge would drop by $462.
* The average patient stay would decrease by half a day.
For more information, please visit www.100tophospitals.com
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Northside Forsyth Hospital in Georgia Highly Ranked for Patient Safety
As reported in Forthsyth News .com
by Crystal Ledford
Northside Hospital-Forsyth has been named one of the best hospitals in the nation for patient safety.
HealthGrades, an independent organization that ranks medical providers to empower consumers to make informed health decisions, listed Northside-Forsyth, Georgia in the top five percent of hospitals across the nation for patient safety.The survey analyzed 40 million Medicare patient records from 2007-09, looking at 13 safety indicators.
According to the HealthGrade study, patients treated at hospitals ranking in the top 5 percent have a 46 percent lower risk of experiencing a patient safety incident than those treated in lower performing hospitals.
In addition, the study found patients treated in the top performing hospitals were on average about 52 percent less likely to contract a hospital-acquired infection following surgery.
Northside-Forsyth was one of four hospitals in Georgia named to top 5 percent.The others included Gainesville's Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, and Saint Mary's Hospital in Athens.
Skip Putnam, CEO of Northside-Forsyth, said he and his staff were "very proud and honored" to receive the ranking from HealthGrades."Ensuring patient safety and quality of care is a part of everyone's job at Northside Hospital-Forsyth," Putnam said. "We will continue to provide the safest environment and best possible care for our community."
James McCoy, president of the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce, said the ranking speaks well not only for the hospital, but the entire community."The fact that we have a local hospital recognized for safety on a national level is remarkable," he said. "This is a great accomplishment for the leadership of the hospital and our community.
To read full article please visit Forsyth News
by Crystal Ledford
Northside Hospital-Forsyth has been named one of the best hospitals in the nation for patient safety.
HealthGrades, an independent organization that ranks medical providers to empower consumers to make informed health decisions, listed Northside-Forsyth, Georgia in the top five percent of hospitals across the nation for patient safety.The survey analyzed 40 million Medicare patient records from 2007-09, looking at 13 safety indicators.
According to the HealthGrade study, patients treated at hospitals ranking in the top 5 percent have a 46 percent lower risk of experiencing a patient safety incident than those treated in lower performing hospitals.
In addition, the study found patients treated in the top performing hospitals were on average about 52 percent less likely to contract a hospital-acquired infection following surgery.
Northside-Forsyth was one of four hospitals in Georgia named to top 5 percent.The others included Gainesville's Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, and Saint Mary's Hospital in Athens.
Skip Putnam, CEO of Northside-Forsyth, said he and his staff were "very proud and honored" to receive the ranking from HealthGrades."Ensuring patient safety and quality of care is a part of everyone's job at Northside Hospital-Forsyth," Putnam said. "We will continue to provide the safest environment and best possible care for our community."
James McCoy, president of the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce, said the ranking speaks well not only for the hospital, but the entire community."The fact that we have a local hospital recognized for safety on a national level is remarkable," he said. "This is a great accomplishment for the leadership of the hospital and our community.
To read full article please visit Forsyth News
Thursday, March 24, 2011
AHRQ Hospital Survey On Patient Safety Culture Shows Improved Patient Safety Scores
Some interesting information pulled from the Executive Summary of the new AHRQ Hospital Survey:
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) established the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture comparative database. The first annual comparative database report was released in 2007 and included data from 382 U.S. hospitals. The Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture 2011 User Comparative Database Report displays results from 1,032 hospitals and 472,397 hospital staff respondents
Areas of Strength for Most Hospitals
Three areas of strength emerged. Results are expressed in terms of percent positive response. Percent positive is the percentage of positive responses (e.g., Agree, Strongly agree) to positively worded items (e.g., "People support one another in this unit") or negative responses (e.g., Disagree) to negatively worded items (e.g., "We have safety problems in this unit").
Teamwork Within Units (average 80 percent positive response)—This composite is defined as the extent to which staff support each other, treat each other with respect, and work together as a team. This composite had the highest average percent positive response.
Supervisor/Manager Expectations & Actions Promoting Patient Safety (average 75 percent positive response)—This composite is defined as the extent to which supervisors/managers consider staff suggestions for improving patient safety, praise staff for following patient safety procedures, and do not overlook patient safety problems. This composite had the second highest average percent positive response.
Patient Safety Grade—On average, most respondents within hospitals (75 percent) gave their work area or unit a grade of either "A-Excellent" (29 percent) or "B-Very Good" (46 percent) on patient safety.
Areas With Potential for Improvement for Most Hospitals
Three areas showed potential for improvement.
Nonpunitive Response to Error (average 44 percent positive response)—This composite is defined as the extent to which staff feel that their mistakes and event reports are not held against them and that mistakes are not kept in their personnel file. This composite had the lowest average percent positive response.
Handoffs and Transitions (average 45 percent positive response)—This composite is defined as the extent to which important patient care information is transferred across hospital units and during shift changes. This composite had the second lowest average percent positive response.
Number of Events Reported—On average, most respondents within hospitals (54 percent) reported no events in their hospital over the past 12 months. It is likely that events were underreported. This is an area for improvement for most hospitals because underreporting of events means potential patient safety problems may not be recognized or identified and therefore may not be addressed.
Results by Hospital Characteristics
Bed Size
* Very small hospitals (6-24 beds) had the highest overall average percent positive response on the patient safety culture composites.
* Small hospitals (25-49 beds) had the highest percentage of respondents who gave their work area/unit a patient safety grade of "Excellent" or "Very Good" (81 percent positive for 25-49 beds vs. 70 percent for 400 beds or more).
Results by Respondent Characteristics
Work Area/Unit
* Respondents in Rehabilitation had the highest average percent positive response across the composites (69 percent positive); Emergency had the lowest (57 percent positive).
* Rehabilitation had the highest percentage of respondents who gave their work area/unit a patient safety grade of "Excellent" or "Very Good" (84 percent); Emergency had the lowest (63 percent).
* ICU (any type) had the highest percentage of respondents reporting one or more events in the past year (63 percent); Rehabilitation had the lowest (42 percent).
Staff Position
* Respondents in Administration/Management had the highest average percent positive response across the composites (74 percent positive); Pharmacists had the lowest (60 percent positive).
* Administration/Management had the highest percentage of respondents who gave their work area/unit a patient safety grade of "Excellent" or "Very Good"(86 percent); Pharmacists had the lowest (67 percent).
* Pharmacists had the highest percentage of respondents reporting one or more events in the past year (72 percent); Unit Assistants/Clerks/Secretaries had the lowest (18 percent).
Trending: Comparing Results Over Time
Results regarding changes over time on the patient safety culture composites, patient safety grade, and number of events reported for the 512 hospitals (of the 1,032 total database hospitals) that administered the survey and submitted data more than once are highlighted.
Trending: Overall Summary Statistics
* The average percent positive scores on the patient safety culture composites increased slightly by 2 percentage points (ranging from 1 to 3 percentage points).
* The average percentage of respondents who gave their work area/unit a patient safety grade of "A-Excellent" or "B-Very Good" increased slightly by 3 percentage points.
* The average number of respondents reporting one or more events increased by only 1 percentage point.
* The top three patient safety actions implemented by hospitals between the previous and most recent survey administration were:
o Improved fall prevention program (56 percent).
o Conducted root cause analysis (52 percent).
o Implemented SBAR (situation-background-assessment-recommendation) communication (51 percent).
Trending: Bed Size
* Hospitals with 50-99 beds had the greatest increases in percent positive response over time on 8 of the 12 composites (average increase of 3 percentage points).
* Very small hospitals (6-24 beds) had the greatest increase in the percentage of respondents who gave their work area/unit a patient safety grade of "Excellent" or "Very Good" (a 4 percentage point increase, from 77 percent to 81 percent).
Trending: Work Area/Unit
* ICU and Pediatrics had the greatest increases in percent positive response on 5 of the 12 patient safety culture composites (average increases of 4 and 3 percentage points, respectively).
* Emergency had the greatest increase over time in the average percentage of respondents giving their work area/unit a patient safety grade of "Excellent" or "Very Good" (a 4 percentage point increase, from 60 percent to 64 percent).
* Lab and Pharmacy had the greatest increases in the average percentage of respondents reporting one or more events in the past year (5 percentage point increases). The largest decrease was in Psychiatry/Mental Health (a 5 percentage point decrease).
Payers and Providers Study: Turning Clincial Data into Actionable Information Key Mandate for Clinical Analytics
Using clinical analytics to meet Stage One MU criteria and lowering clinical costs emerged as the top drivers for providers and payers, respectively, for using and analyzing clinical data. This is according to a new HIMSS Analytics whitepaper based on a 2011 annual study of payers’ and providers’ use of clinical data.
The HIMSS research is the second annual study conducted by HIMSS Analytics and sponsored by Anvita Health™, comprising a series of focus groups and one-on-one interviews with CMOS and chief medical information officers from the payer and provider communities.
To read the full article please visit
http://psqh.com/news/current-news/773-payers-and-providers-study-turning-clincial-data-into-actionable-information-key-mandate-for-clinical-analytics.html
The HIMSS research is the second annual study conducted by HIMSS Analytics and sponsored by Anvita Health™, comprising a series of focus groups and one-on-one interviews with CMOS and chief medical information officers from the payer and provider communities.
To read the full article please visit
http://psqh.com/news/current-news/773-payers-and-providers-study-turning-clincial-data-into-actionable-information-key-mandate-for-clinical-analytics.html
Bloodstream Infections in ICUs Plummeting, Too Many Remain in Hospitals and Dialysis Clinics
The number of bloodstream infections in intensive care unit patients with central lines decreased by 58 percent in 2009 compared to 2001, according to a new CDC Vital Signs report. During this time span, the decrease in bloodstream infections represented up to 27,000 lives saved and almost $2 billion in excess health care costs. Bloodstream infections in patients with central lines can be deadly, killing as many as one in four patients who gets one.
A central line is a tube usually placed in a large vein of a patient's neck or chest to deliver treatment in an ICU, elsewhere in the hospital, and during dialysis. A bloodstream infection can happen when germs enter the blood through a central line, often because proper procedures were not used while the central line was placed or maintained. In recent years, studies have proven that health care providers can prevent most bloodstream infections in patients with central lines by following CDC infection control recommendations, which include removing central lines as soon as medically appropriate. In hemodialysis patients, central lines should only be used when other options are unavailable.
To read the full article please visit
http://www.psqh.com/news/current-news/770-infections-in-icus-plummeting-too-many-remain-in-hospitals-and-dialysis-clinics.html
A central line is a tube usually placed in a large vein of a patient's neck or chest to deliver treatment in an ICU, elsewhere in the hospital, and during dialysis. A bloodstream infection can happen when germs enter the blood through a central line, often because proper procedures were not used while the central line was placed or maintained. In recent years, studies have proven that health care providers can prevent most bloodstream infections in patients with central lines by following CDC infection control recommendations, which include removing central lines as soon as medically appropriate. In hemodialysis patients, central lines should only be used when other options are unavailable.
To read the full article please visit
http://www.psqh.com/news/current-news/770-infections-in-icus-plummeting-too-many-remain-in-hospitals-and-dialysis-clinics.html
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