Doing it right is healthier

Doing it right means a laser focus on improving patient care and outcomes, every day, without exception. Over the past two years, CHI has accomplished double-digit improvement in both quality and safety. In 2016, health care quality improved 15% over baseline and health care safety improved 67% over baseline. And in 2017, quality improved 34% over baseline and safety improved 75% over baseline. This fast-track success comes through our principles of alignment, action, accountability and constancy of purpose, and includes these key activities:

  1. Alignment of quality and safety goals and metrics established by the Board of Stewardship Trustees for every market. 
  2. A constancy of purpose to achieve sustainable change and improvements with a commitment to the same set of measures for a three-year period. 
  3. A single source of truth for data, including analytics and reporting across the enterprise, with full transparency.
  4. Alignment of financial incentives to leadership goals.
  5. Relentless focus on market leadership engagement and improvement through regular status calls, education sessions and best practices from high-performing markets.

Doing it right is safer

Here are just a few areas where we have made great strides in ensuring patients are safe and outcomes are as expected.

Preventing the occurrence of:

  • Catheter-associated urinary tract infections
  • Infections obtained as a result of a procedure, treatment, or being in a hospital or other healthcare setting
  • Surgical errors
  • Patient falls
  • Pressure ulcers
  • Deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolisms
  • Central-line-associated blood stream infections
  • Total knee replacement complications
  • Hospital readmissions of patients with pneumonia
  • Improving patient care and outcomes with improved treatment of Heart Failure
  • Better pain management
  • Opioid safety measures
  • Sepsis reduction protocols

Patient safety is in our blood

One of the major safety needs in hospitals nationwide is improving blood transfusion practices. That’s why CHI has created a Patient Blood Management Task Force. Together they are standardizing our transfusion medicine procedures, educating physicians, and developing algorithms to guide treatment decisions. In many cases, our evidence-based guidelines show that reducing blood use actually improves outcomes and saves lives. Our hematologists are receiving extra training, and specific guidelines are in place for patients who have conditions like chronic low blood counts or kidney disease.

To date we are:
Developing data-driven standard protocols
Building patient-centric approaches
Consulting the entire patient care team
Committed to an ongoing and evolving process

Raising America's standard of care

In keeping with our commitment to exceptional patient care and safety, we developed the nation’s first Specialty Privileging Program. Our team of over 1,800 advanced practice clinicians is now engaged to observe, mentor and monitor low to high-risk clinical procedures. This helps ensure exceptional standards based on clinical research, leading practices and professional consultations. 

“

The existence of a comprehensive privileging process is important in providing exquisite care to our patients. I believe our approach will soon be emulated across the nation.

”
- Michelle L. Edwards, DNP, APRN, FNP, ACNP, FAANP System Vice President, Advanced Practice