Organizing for Higher Performance: Case Studies of Organized Delivery Systems

Offers lessons learned from healthcare delivery systems promoting the attributes of an ideal model as defined by the Fund: information continuity, care coordination and transitions, system accountability, teamwork, continuous innovation, and easy access

The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation: Transforming a Public Safety Net Delivery System to Achieve Higher Performance

Describes the results of the public benefit corporation's improvement initiatives -- a common clinical information system for continuity, coordination on chronic disease management, teamwork and continuous innovation, and access to appropriate care

St. Luke's Medical Center: Bottom-Up Approach to Quality Improvement in Pneumonia Care

Highlights strategies for improving pneumonia care, including frontline staff leadership, reassigning responsibilities, ongoing nursing staff education, and the use of evidence-based best practices, concurrent review, and streamlined standing order sets

Committed to Safety: Ten Case Studies on Reducing Harm to Patients

Presents case studies of healthcare organizations, clinical teams, and learning collaborations to illustrate successful innovations for improving patient safety nationwide. Includes actions taken, results achieved, lessons learned, and recommendations

The use of computerised clinical decision support systems in emergency care : a substantive review of the literature

Objectives: This paper provides a substantive review of international literature evaluating the impact of computerised clinical decision support systems (CCDSS) on the care of emergency department (ED) patients. Material and Methods: A literature search was conducted using Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE electronic resources and grey literature. Studies were selected if they compared the use of a CCDSS with usual care in a face-to-face clinical interaction in an ED. Results: Of the 23 studies included approximately half demonstrated a statistically significant positive impact on aspects of clinical care with the use of CCDSSs. The remaining studies showed small improvements, mainly around documentation. However, the methodological quality of the studies was poor with few or no controls to mitigate against confounding variables. The risk of bias was high in all but six studies. Discussion: The ED environment is complex and does not lend itself to robust quantitative designs such as Randomised Controlled Trials. The quality of the research in approximately 75% of the studies was poor and therefore conclusions cannot be drawn from these results. However the studies with a more robust design show evidence of the positive impact of CCDSSs on ED patient care. Conclusion This is the first review to consider the role of CCDSSs in emergency care and expose the research in this area. The role of CCDSSs in Emergency Care may provide some solutions to the current challenges in EDs but further high quality research is needed to better understand what technological solutions can offer clinicians and patients. OBJECTIVES This paper provides a description of a substantive review of published international literature evaluating the impact of computerised clinical decision support systems (CCDSS) on the care of emergency department (ED) patients. The principal aims of this review are: to identify the body of CCDSS research undertaken in EDs, the research methods used, their quality and the impact of CCDSSs on clinical care in EDs. The discussion synthesises what is known and not known about the effectiveness of CCDSSs in Emergency Care and the quality of the current evidence base

Addressing the Health Needs of an Aging America: New Opportunities for Evidence-Based Policy Solutions

This report systematically maps research findings to policy proposals intended to improve the health of the elderly. The study identified promising evidence-based policies, like those supporting prevention and care coordination, as well as areas where the research evidence is strong but policy activity is low, such as patient self-management and palliative care. Future work of the Stern Center will focus on these topics as well as long-term care financing, the health care workforce, and the role of family caregivers

The Performance Improvement Imperative: Utilizing a Coordinated, Community-Based Approach to Enhance Care and Lower Costs for Chronically Ill Patients

Proposes principles for federal leadership and a community-level strategy for improving healthcare performance for high-cost patients as a way to curb health spending. Lists programmatic priorities and design considerations for intervention initiatives

Implementation and impact of pediatric antimicrobial stewardship programs: a systematic scoping review.

Background: Antibiotics are the most common medicines prescribed to children in hospitals and the community, with a high proportion of potentially inappropriate use. Antibiotic misuse increases the risk of toxicity, raises healthcare costs, and selection of resistance. The primary aim of this systematic review is to summarize the current state of evidence of the implementation and outcomes of pediatric antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) globally. Methods: MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched to identify studies reporting on ASP in children aged 0-18 years and conducted in outpatient or in-hospital settings. Three investigators independently reviewed identified articles for inclusion and extracted relevant data. Results: Of the 41,916 studies screened, 113 were eligible for inclusion in this study. Most of the studies originated in the USA (52.2%), while a minority were conducted in Europe (24.7%) or Asia (17.7%). Seventy-four (65.5%) studies used a before-and-after design, and sixteen (14.1%) were randomized trials. The majority (81.4%) described in-hospital ASPs with half of interventions in mixed pediatric wards and ten (8.8%) in emergency departments. Only sixteen (14.1%) studies focused on the costs of ASPs. Almost all the studies (79.6%) showed a significant reduction in inappropriate prescriptions. Compliance after ASP implementation increased. Sixteen of the included studies quantified cost savings related to the intervention with most of the decreases due to lower rates of drug administration. Seven studies showed an increased susceptibility of the bacteria analysed with a decrease in extended spectrum beta-lactamase producers E. coli and K. pneumoniae; a reduction in the rate of P. aeruginosa carbapenem resistance subsequent to an observed reduction in the rate of antimicrobial days of therapy; and, in two studies set in outpatient setting, an increase in erythromycin-sensitive S. pyogenes following a reduction in the use of macrolides. Conclusions: Pediatric ASPs have a significant impact on the reduction of targeted and empiric antibiotic use, healthcare costs, and antimicrobial resistance in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Pediatric ASPs are now widely implemented in the USA, but considerable further adaptation is required to facilitate their uptake in Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa

Achieving Efficiency: Lessons From Four Top-Performing Hospitals

Synthesizes lessons from case studies of how four hospitals achieved greater efficiency, including pursuing quality and access, customizing technology, emphasizing communications, standardizing processes, and integrating care, systems, and providers