Crouse Hospital actively participates in numerous quality improvement initiatives to improve the delivery of care, increase patient satisfaction and improve the overall patient experience. Here's a partial listing:
Partnership for Patients – A national initiative of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to encourage and support hospitals across the U.S. to reduce hospital-acquired conditions by 40%, reduce hospital readmissions by 20%, and save $35 billion in healthcare costs nationally over the next three years. Crouse will work with a consortium of 170 other hospitals across New York State that is being co-facilitated by the Hospital Association of New York State (HANYS) and the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA).
Six Sigma & SU/RIT – Crouse continues its partnership with Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management and Rochester Institute of Technology to help implement Six Sigma strategies that support the hospital’s overall performance improvement initiatives. In healthcare, Six Sigma is used to address many common challenges, including patient safety, resource utilization, length of stay and patient throughput. Working with Whitman and RIT faculty, Six Sigma at Crouse has been used to improve administration of antibiotics, reduce turnaround time for sterile processing of surgical devices/tools and improve health outcomes for patients with respiratory illness. In 2012, Crouse is also proud to be partnering with RIT and Onondaga Community College to conduct Six Sigma Green Belt training for Crouse emergency services staff and area emergency medical services (EMS) professionals.
Collaborating to Improve Cardiac Care – Crouse Hospital is partnering with Rural/Metro Medical Services and the Central New York Emergency Medical Services Program to improve early detection and treatment of patients who suffer the most serious form of heart attack, referred to as a ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (or “STEMI”). Over the past year, the partners have studied factors involved in the diagnosis and treatment of heart attack patients through the entire patient experience – from the start of emergency care and beyond. Each year, thousands of people suffer heart attacks, with the most commonly reported symptom being chest pain. Current emergency medical services (EMS) protocols use that symptom as an indication to obtain a 12-lead diagnostic electrocardiogram (EKG) in the ambulance, prior to hospital arrival. Rural/Metro participates in the LifeNet program, which transmits these important tests to the hospital electronically from the ambulance. In 2011, Rural/Metro transmitted over 10,000 EKGs to area hospitals through LifeNet. This action provides a base for collaborative care between the hospital and paramedics prior to a patient arriving at a hospital ER. Research shows, however, that only 67 percent of patients experiencing a heart attack actually complain of chest pain as a symptom. This means that nearly one third of those suffering a heart attack may not experience chest pain. Other symptoms can include shortness of breath, fatigue, nausea, heartburn, dizziness, or pain in other areas of the body. The organizations involved in the project would like to work with the Regional Emergency Medical Advisory Council to establish new protocols for patient care. Over time, these new protocols could be further evaluated and considered for broader use throughout the region, state and beyond.
National Surgical Quality Improvement Program – A national comparative database (up to 30 days post discharge) that allows for reporting of surgical outcomes on a risk-adjusted basis to factor in a patient’s severity of illness and then compare to national averages. Crouse has earned "Exemplary Outcomes" designation from the American College of Surgeons (the program's sponsor) for our surgical performance efforts.
Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s 5 Million Lives Campaign – A voluntary national initiative for hospitals to protect patients from five million incidents of medical harm over a two-year period (December 2006 - December 2008).
HCAHPS – The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAPHS) was developed by the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services to standardize survey instruments and data collection for measuring and publicly reporting patients' perspectives on hospital care.
Leapfrog Group – A voluntary program aimed at mobilizing employer purchasing power to alert America’s health industry that big leaps in healthcare safety, quality and customer value will be recognized and rewarded. Among other initiatives, Leapfrog works with its employer members to encourage transparency and easy access to healthcare information as well as rewards for hospitals that have a proven record of high-quality care. Crouse is the only Syracuse hospital participating in this program.
Lung Partners – Started in 2010, this innovative Crouse-developed program puts the care of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients in the hands of a multidisciplinary respiratory care team to provide more efficient, personalized care and increase compliance with post-discharge care.
Medicare Innovations Collaborative (MED-IC) – Crouse is proud to be one of six healthcare sites in the U.S. invited by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins University to participate in a pilot program focusing on the care of senior patients. The MED-IC project is a national effort to change healthcare policy and improve care for older adults by putting the leading models of geriatric best practices to work in hospital settings. In addition to Crouse, the other sites participating in the collaborative include:
- Aurora Sinai Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI
- Carolinas HealthCare System/Mercy Hospital, Charlotte, NC
- Geisinger Health System/Geisinger Clinic, Danville, PA
- Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, PA
- University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH
- National Quality Indicators – Crouse Hospital participates in national quality outcome measure initiatives to compare current key clinical outcomes with like organizations and identify/prioritize opportunities for improved processes or clinical outcomes. Some of these initiatives include:
- National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators – A national database for nursing quality indicators that collects and evaluates unit-specific nurse-sensitive data from hospitals in the United States for quality improvement purposes.
- Press Ganey – More than 20 years ago, seven hospitals in Maryland agreed to what was then an unprecedented activity: they began sharing sensitive data on clinical outcomes with an eye toward learning from one another. These outcomes include surgical infection prevention, pneumonia, congestive heart failure and acute myocardial infarction (heart attack). Their burning questions: Are we doing the right things? Are we doing them well? The groundbreaking work of these seven hospitals led to the formation of the Quality Indicator Project. Hospitals all over the country took notice. Today, over 1,000 acute care hospitals, including Crouse, use this data in their efforts to oversee patient care quality and identify opportunities for improvement.
- American Heart Association/American Stroke Association “Get with the Guidelines” – The premier hospital-based quality improvement program for the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association. It empowers healthcare provider teams to consistently treat heart and stroke patients according to the most up-to-date guidelines. Crouse is proud to be the area's first Gold Plus-designated hospital for stroke care for consistent high-level performance in the care and treatment of stroke patients.
- Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) - A national quality partnership of organizations committed to improving the safety of surgical care through the reduction of post-operative complications.