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Hospital becomes top performer on surgery “core measures”

United Hospital Center (UHC), Clarksburg, WV, a 375-bed hospital and part of the West Virginia United Health System, has been recognized as one of the top 100 hospitals in the U.S. on Cleverley & Associates' Community Value Index as published in State of the Hospital Industry.

Challenge:

In 2003 scores were in the bottom deciles for most process-of-care quality measures (core measurers) in four clinical areas – heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, and surgical care – when UHC joined the Premier/Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration.

Solution:

Gathered data with Premier’s Quality Measurers Reporter™ and ClinicalAdvisor™ to determine problem.
Created committee to review performance data and identify and address performance gaps.
Carefully recorded data recording, assessment, and validation to gain physicians trust.
CEO, medical staff chair and medical staff engagement.
Transparency – communication of progress as well as challenges.
Strategies specific to surgical care: best practice literature to get surgeons on board, consistent feedback (by individual surgeon), peer pressure and standardized surgery procedures: standing orders, practice sets, and checklists.

Results:

In three years, UHC moved from one of the lower performing hospitals to one of the top performing hospitals in “core measures.”
In top 3 percent in composite of five surgical care improvement process-of-care measures among the more than 2,300 hospitals (more than half of U.S. acute-care hospitals) eligible for the analysis.
Reduced the cost of care by $60,000

"The Premier ClinicalAdvisor and Quality Measures Reporter systems have been instrumental in our success. Not only do the tools allow us to provide physician and nursing unit specific performance reports, it has aided the QI department to drill down into specific complications, readmissions and mortality to further drive performance."

Bruce Carter, CEO
United Hospital Center

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