Quality journey brings award to New Albany

Sept. 26--NEW ALBANY -- Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union County has worked hard to make quality care a team sport.

"Our patients are the focus of what we do," said Barbara Owens, administrative director at the New Albany hospital. "No one group has made that happen. It's very much a collaborative effort."

Baptist Memorial-Union County was one of three hospitals in the nation recognized with the Quest Award for High-Value Healthcare.

Out of 350 hospitals participating in the Quest collaborative, only three were able to score in the top third on cost and efficiency and the top quarter on measures in adhering to evidence based care, mortality, safety, patient experience and appropriate hospital use.

"I truly felt like we got an Academy Award," said Owens, who has been a part of the hospital's quality improvement efforts for more than three decades.

The hospital began working with Premier, a health care improvement company, several years ago and was invited to join the Quest collaborative five years ago.

It hasn't been easy, but the hospital's staff and physicians are driven to provide the best care, said Walter Grace, hospital chief executive officer and president.

"The majority of our colleagues approach this as a mission, not a job," Grace said. "I think that's what makes a difference."

Health care reform demands high quality and cost savings. The quality journey has helped the hospital achieve those ends.

"We've reduced our costs so our costs are very close to our reimbursements," Owens said. "We're very proud we've gotten our costs down and not compromised quality."

Journey

Part of the Quest collaborative journey has been finding ways to move resources where patients need them. Baptist Memorial-Union County added a case manager to the emergency department.

Recently, an emergency department patient needed supplemental oxygen, said Dr. Robert Pitcock, who serves as the department's medical director. Instead of admitting him and letting the inpatient nursing staff coordinate with a home health agency, the emergency department staff made the arrangements. The patient was able to go home with what he needed, not the upheaval and expense of an unnecessary night in the hospital.

"Everyone was happier," Pitcock said.

Quest collaborative pushed them to further refine patient safety protocols, said Mary Foley, hospital quality coordinator. For example, they've added extra precautions for those at risk for falls and seen great results.

"We've had no harm with falls," Foley said.

The hospital also added protocols to quickly identify post-delivery hemorrhages, which can happen suddenly.

"We haven't had severe outcomes," Foley said.

The protocols and clinical pathways aren't developed in a vacuum. The clinical staff gathers input and then brings the proposals back to staff.

"It's our front line people who make things happen," Foley said. "They know what works and what doesn't. Their input is invaluable."

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