Three Missouri Hospitals Recognized For Quality Improvement

Three Missouri health care organizations have been recognized with the Missouri Hospital Association Aim for Excellence Award for delivery of improved population health, patient outcomes and experience, and value of care. The award recognizes progress toward the Triple Aim — better health, improved care and lower cost. The awards were presented Thursday, Nov. 7, during MHA’s 97th Annual Convention & Trade Show in Osage Beach, Mo.

“Missouri hospitals are making tremendous strides in protecting patients from harm and improving the quality of care,” said Herb B. Kuhn, MHA President and CEO. “This year’s award recipients reflect the diverse approaches being taken to create a more effective health delivery system.”

Mosaic Medical Center – Albany
Clinical Excellence — Critical Access Hospitals and Rural Hospitals

Mosaic Medical Center – Albany committed to an audacious goal: Reduce all patient harm by 50%. As a critical access hospital, the total number of harm events in any category was small. In the baseline year, 10 incidents of patient harm occurred. To meet the goal, the hospital was required to address all harm risks simultaneously. Adopting best practices from various sources — and engaging all members of the clinical and nonclinical staff — the hospital implemented interventions for fall risk and bundles for catheter-associated urinary tract infection, incorporated pressure-relieving devices, and enhanced education and management for safe medication delivery and infection control. At the same time, the hospital focused on establishing a culture of safety while creating a high reliability organization for the delivery of care. The effort resulted in a 75% reduction in harm throughout the 12-month implementation period.

Saint Francis Medical Center
Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Clinical Excellence — Small and Large Metropolitan Hospitals

Saint Francis Medical Center, through the use of lean six sigma methodology, identified the need to further reduce their already below national average occurrence of surgical site infections. The quality improvement team set a short-term goal of achieving a 50% reduction with a long-term goal of achieving zero SSI’s. Throughout a three-year period, the team collected data on care to identify opportunities for improvement. During this period, SSI-related quality improvement processes were implemented, and data on care continuously fed into the improvement system to inform change in practice, hospitalwide. The program yielded improvement of 78% in MRSA specific SSIs and 45.3% in SSIs overall from calendar year 2015 to calendar year 2018. The hospital continues to use the system to move toward their goal of zero SSIs. Quality improvement work continues to achieve the long-term goal of zero.

Mercy
St. Louis
Clinical Excellence — Care Collaborative or Health System

Mercy identified significant sepsis care variation throughout the system’s hospitals. Within the system, monthly compliance rates for sepsis bundle adherence was as low as 9% at some facilities, while others exceeded the national average of 56.2% compliance. Mercy recognized that eliminating variation in care was essential to improving performance and reducing harm. Using the system’s virtual services and modifications to the electronic medical record, a Sepsis Task Force established a new model of care. Through the program, virtual clinical staff monitor patient EMRs for risk and sepsis care compliance while working collaboratively with bedside staff to deliver appropriate care. The program elevated compliance rates to above the state average and reduced variation in care throughout the health system.

NOTE: A video explaining the improvement processes and celebrating the achievement is available for each of the honorees at the links below. Click on the photos in the news release to open a print-ready image of the award winners.

Mosaic Medical Center – Albany
Saint Francis Medical Center
Mercy

2019 Honorable Mention
Critical Access Hospitals and Rural Hospitals — Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare, Clinton
Small and Large Metropolitan Hospitals — Southeast Hospital, Cape Girardeau
Care Collaborative or Health Care System — Saint Luke’s Health System, Kansas City