Stories to put in the bank might help ensure better health-care quality and access for everyone. Starting next year, Coloradans will be invited to record their health-related stories, which will be categorized and shared with the public. PNS Reporter Deb Courson explains...
Letter from the CEO: CRHC Engages in Effort to Reduce Rural Hospital Readmissions
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| Lou Ann Wilroy, CEO |
The iCARE (Improving Communication and Readmission) project’s focus is on reducing costly hospital readmissions among our state’s Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Readmission is often considered to be an urban problem. While it is true that the smaller healthcare systems don’t struggle as much with hospital readmission as larger ones, systems large and small can improve on this front.
For hospitals of all sizes, readmissions are especially a problem for patients struggling with pneumonia and heart failure. Unplanned readmission to hospitals cost the government about $17 billion annually, according to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study found 2.3 million, or 20%, of Medicare beneficiaries were readmitted to the hospital within 30 days. The majority of those readmissions were related to issues such as heart failure and pneumonia.
At CRHC we understand that rural hospitals operate differently than their urban peers, so our readmissions/care transitions program is different too. In short, iCARE is not as prescriptive as many other readmission efforts because we appreciate that rural facilities need more flexibility in how they participate in quality improvement programs.
While communications in rural facilities might be less challenging due to their smaller size, the handoff to large urban facilities is a different equation, one that too often results in readmissions. The iCARE program is focused on implementing protocols that make the rural/urban transfer more predictable and thus less likely to result in a readmission.
Because paramedics play such a critical front line role in rural areas, Michelle Mills and the other members on our iCARE team are intent on making sure these professionals are part of the solution to readmissions. According to Michelle, “the iCARE program is based on CRHC’s strong understanding that the entire community plays a role in offering patient centered care.”
Of course our care transitions team is not skipping past the basics. Discharge instructions and medication reconciliation are being scrutinized, as well as an examination at how closely those instructions are understood and followed. Because our rural facilities run from border to border, we will be using webinars to make program content accessible to all.
If you have questions, or would like to learn more, please get in touch with Michelle Mills at mm@coruralhealth.org. Michelle is participating in a statewide Hospital Readmissions Task Force that has been formed by the Center for Improving Value in Health Care. The Task Force is coordinating efforts like CRHC’s iCARE with other readmissions work such as the Colorado Hospital Association’s Project RED and the Colorado Foundation for Medical Care’s Care Transitions Program.
Apply now for up to $50,000 of rural health infrastructure funding!
Contact Shelly Collings at sc@coruralhealth.org or 720.248.2742 with questions.
Happy Holidays!
If you are not currently an Investing Member, we encourage you to consider joining now or renewing your membership for 2011. As a CRHC Investing Member, you can get discounts to our many events, access to countless rural health resources, and become eligible for programs that can save your organization money. To learn more about Investing Membership, visit the CRHC website.
Happy Holidays!
From the CRHC Board & Staff
Read Now: the Colorado Behavioral Health Workforce Report
St. Anthony Summit Medical Center named '2010 Top Hospital' for outstanding achievement in patient safety and quality care
This is an excerpt from a news release posted to PR Newswire. To access the full article, click here.
The Leapfrog Group's annual class of top hospitals was announced on December 2 in Washington, DC at Leapfrog's 10th anniversary meeting and named St. Anthony Summit Medical Center, a Centura Health hospital, in Frisco, Colorado. St. Anthony Summit Medical Center was selected as one of only five rural hospitals nationwide.
The 2010 list includes 65 hospitals nationally; 53 urban, 5 rural, and 7 children's hospitals. The selection is based on the results of The Leapfrog Group's national survey that measures hospitals' performance in crucial areas of patient safety and quality. It is the most complete picture available of a hospital's quality and safety.
"Being named among the top hospitals in the country by Leapfrog is a tremendous honor. That recognition means that St. Anthony Summit Medical Center has demonstrated that it saves lives by delivering safe and high quality health care. That's health care with true value; the kind of health care that we all want and expect from the health care delivery system every day. The Colorado Business Group on Health congratulates St. Anthony Summit Medical Center and its CEO, Paul Chodkowski, for their ongoing dedication to patient safety and quality as indicated by this award," said Tammy Kirk, President, Colorado Business Group on Health.
The Hospital Survey focuses on four critical areas of patient safety: the use of computer physician order entry (CPOE) to prevent medication errors; standards for doing high-risk procedures such as heart surgery; protocols and policies to reduce medical errors and other safe practices recommended by the National Quality Forum; and adequate nurse and physician staffing. In addition, hospitals are measured on their progress in preventing infections and other hospital-acquired conditions and adopting policies on the handling of serious medical errors, among other things.
For a complete list of 2010 Leapfrog Top Hospitals, visit http://www.leapfroggroup.org/.
To access the full article, click here.
The Leapfrog Group's annual class of top hospitals was announced on December 2 in Washington, DC at Leapfrog's 10th anniversary meeting and named St. Anthony Summit Medical Center, a Centura Health hospital, in Frisco, Colorado. St. Anthony Summit Medical Center was selected as one of only five rural hospitals nationwide.
The 2010 list includes 65 hospitals nationally; 53 urban, 5 rural, and 7 children's hospitals. The selection is based on the results of The Leapfrog Group's national survey that measures hospitals' performance in crucial areas of patient safety and quality. It is the most complete picture available of a hospital's quality and safety.
"Being named among the top hospitals in the country by Leapfrog is a tremendous honor. That recognition means that St. Anthony Summit Medical Center has demonstrated that it saves lives by delivering safe and high quality health care. That's health care with true value; the kind of health care that we all want and expect from the health care delivery system every day. The Colorado Business Group on Health congratulates St. Anthony Summit Medical Center and its CEO, Paul Chodkowski, for their ongoing dedication to patient safety and quality as indicated by this award," said Tammy Kirk, President, Colorado Business Group on Health.
The Hospital Survey focuses on four critical areas of patient safety: the use of computer physician order entry (CPOE) to prevent medication errors; standards for doing high-risk procedures such as heart surgery; protocols and policies to reduce medical errors and other safe practices recommended by the National Quality Forum; and adequate nurse and physician staffing. In addition, hospitals are measured on their progress in preventing infections and other hospital-acquired conditions and adopting policies on the handling of serious medical errors, among other things.
For a complete list of 2010 Leapfrog Top Hospitals, visit http://www.leapfroggroup.org/.
To access the full article, click here.
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