| Orofino
hospital receives award
Since 2002, Qualis Health has presented the Award of Excellence in Healthcare Quality to outstanding organizations in Idaho and Washington. This year, during the Idaho 2012 Annual Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Conference April 5 and 6, recipients of the Idaho Awards were announced. These distinguished winners, including Clearwater Valley Hospital and Clinics, have demonstrated leadership and innovation in improving healthcare practices, reflecting the very best in healthcare quality improvement. The award recognizes those who demonstrate outcomes to the three broad aims outlined in the 2011 National Quality Strategy which are better healthcare (for individuals), better health (for populations) and reduced costs through improvement. An awards committee comprised of representatives of local healthcare professional and trade organizations judged the nominations. All Idaho healthcare providers, health plans and community agencies were eligible to enter. “We are very happy to announce that Clearwater Valley Hospital and Clinics was selected for this award,” says Dr. Kelly McGrath, MD. “The project that won us this honor is TheRedesign of the Hospital Discharge Transition—Patient-Centered Care to Improve Safety, Cost and Outcome.” In 2011, Clearwater Valley Hospital and Clinics extensively redesigned the hospital discharge process with the goal of delivering patient-centered care that reduces cost while improving safety. Among multiple improvement methods, innovative elements of this effort included effective use of the Visiting Nurse Service and the Patient-Centered Medical Home in the affiliated clinics. Through reduction in the 30, 60 and 90-day hospital readmission rates these methods produced significant improvements in patient care and declines in healthcare costs. The 30-day readmission rate dropped from a study baseline of 19.8% to 7.4%, the 60-day rate declined from 9.7% to 6% and the 90-day rate dropped from 7.2% to 3.2%. The redesigned process produced a safer, patient-centered care transition through delivery of care in the home of high-risk patients and early access to outpatient follow-up with the medical home team. “This process produced a safer, patient-centered care transition through delivery of care in the home of high-risk patients, through our Visiting Nurse Services, and early access to outpatient follow-up with the medical home team,” explains McGrath. The measures that were taken to ensure a foundation for a safer discharge were carefully checking medication dosages with the patient, risk assessment on admission, inpatient care team assessment and management of barriers to safe discharge, visits to patients by our VNS, physician review of readmissions, scheduling visits with patient’s primary care provider seven days after discharge, among others. “Participation amongst all staff members from doctors to nurses to admitting, were certainly contributing factors to the success of this re-design process,” says Sharon Moriarty, head of nursing at CVHC. “We are very happy to have made this breakthrough and look forward to continuing to offer quality, award winning healthcare close to home!” 
L-R: Dr. Jonathan Sugarman, MD, MPH, President and CEO of Qualis Health, Sharon Moriarty, Director of Nursing, CVHC, Donna Hoopes, Discharge Planner, CVHC, Dr. Kelly McGrath, CVHC and Linda Rowe, Director of Idaho Medicare Services, Qualis Health |
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