In this series, we explore 5 key metrics that both drive a hospital towards high reliability but will also give an ROI on process improvement initiatives beyond the initial financial investments.
Today, we look at readmission rates, and will continue the series based on: HAC scores, HCAHPS star ratings, Value Based Purchasing scores, and CMS star ratings.
The Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, implemented in 2012, provides financial incentives for hospitals to reduce readmissions. The average penalty for 2017 is 0.58% and, while that may not seem notable, CMS estimates that total penalties across all hospitals will total $528 million, $108 million more than in 2016.
That’s a lot of money that hospitals could be using for patient care and staffing issues.
Use an enterprise-wide digital high reliability platform that collects quality observations and reap these benefits:
TIP: Switching to a digitally-based platform may sound overwhelming and costly but the return on investment will typically pay for itself in its first year. Make sure to find a company that will work alongside you throughout the entire implementation process. Partnering with a company that is experienced in the roll-out phase can be priceless.
Hospitals seeking to improve patient satisfaction have begun tracking patient feedback in real time, improving their patients’ experience on the spot. As noted above, this kind of proactive patient rounding is best achieved in a digital real-time tool.
TIP: Measure more than just what is required in HCAHPS. Ask questions about room appearance, ease of understanding of bill, quality of the food, amenities (e.g., internet access), parking, timeliness of appointments, etc. There are plenty of ways to improve the patients’ experience, gain their trust, and improve your hospital’s reputation today!
Ideally, these measures will include:
TIP: Once you’ve successfully completed a comprehensive HAC performance improvement initiative, don’t stop monitoring the issue. We’ve seen the most well-meaning PI teams fix issues and move on to the next. Without constant monitoring, the issues you worked hard to correct will eventually return. Continual process documentation and data analysis are your only insurance that a systemic issue stays corrected and sustains continuous improvement.
Multiple studies have shown that approximately 20% of patients have a post-discharge event and, of those events, nearly 30% are avoidable.
Post-discharge calling:
Post-discharge calling works best when it is
This is best implemented when using a solution that sends real-time issues to appropriate contacts. This type of follow-up process ensures that no issues fall through the cracks.
TIP: When using a digital solution for post-discharge follow-up calling, you not only benefit from a streamlined process and its built-in accountability, but the data can be analyzed to create proactive measures that help to eliminate future readmissions.
We will continue to explore the ways in which each of these metrics can offer return on investments in upcoming blog posts...
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