Case Studies
The ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ Association produces case studies on its member organizations across a wide range of health-care topics.
High rates of hospital readmissions in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) indicate a problem with transitions of care in the outpatient management following an inpatient hospitalization. Data suggest that 22.6 percent of Medicare beneficiaries admitted to the hospital for…
The ultimate goal for patients who are mechanically ventilated is to promptly and safely discontinue their dependence on mechanical ventilation to promote recovery from illness. It is accepted practice to perform a spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) with a patient connected to the ventilator to…
The hospital's venous thromboembolism (VTE) rate for total joint patients was 36.2 in 2011 and 37.70 in 2012. In January 2012, they created the interdisciplinary Orthopedic Co-Management Collaborative (OCMC) to improve quality outcomes and patient satisfaction. They set standards for pharmacologic…
Sepsis is a medical condition with high rates of morbidity, mortality and cost and it is the most frequent diagnosis on the medical-surgical units at the hospital. Despite the availability of evidence-based guidelines (Surviving Sepsis Campaign) and the hard work of many dedicated people, the…
Although episiotomy was once considered a routine part of childbirth, in recent years, there has been a shift away from this practice. Episiotomies have been linked to perinatal injury, loss of bladder or bowel control and other complications that can increase costs and endanger the mother's…
The project focused on managing sepsis in the emergency department and in admitted patients, with an emphasis on early identification and treatment. The project additionally sought to impact excess days, decrease length of stay, decrease cost of care and decrease the mortality rate for patients…
A review of the hospital's quality indicators revealed an unacceptable rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI). The goal was to reduce the rate of CAUTI by 40 percent with the involvement of physicians, health care workers, patients and their families. The hospital piloted the…
Despite implementing universal gloving, an increased emphasis on hand hygiene and antibiotic stewardship measures, the facility ended the year with a rate that was more than double its target. An interdisciplinary team consisting of the chief medical officer, the director of quality, the medical…
Inappropriate stress ulcer prophylaxis is a serious problem across the health care continuum. Literature has shown that the overuse of acid suppression therapy, especially proton pump inhibitors, has been associated with an increase in Clostridium difficile, diarrhea, pneumonia, osteoporotic…
A history as a resource-challenged urban safety net hospital with a high-risk population, a lack of consistent and effective leadership and the absence of hard-wired clinical practices resulted in a perinatal program that failed to meet established standards or leadership's expectations. This was…