IMPACT: Same-day mammogram appointments and outreach calls cut the racial and socioeconomic disparity gap nearly in half.
HealthPartners’ Riverside Clinic in Minneapolis, part of the AF4Q Alliance in Minnesota, wanted to know why Somali women were less likely to get regular mammograms. So they asked. Turns out it is much easier to get mammograms, cholesterol tests, and other blood screenings regularly, if they can happen on the same day as a doctor appointment (versus making a second trip to the office). Same-day mammogram appointments and outreach calls cut the racial and socioeconomic disparity gap nearly in half. Visit the Minnesota Alliance Splash page here.
IMPACT: “Quietness at night” scores increased from 39% in 2009 to 58% in June 2011.
A patient survey at Federal Way’s St. Francis Hospital, part of the AF4Q Puget Sound Alliance, showed that noise levels on one unit were way too high, hindering patient health and healing. Nurses tested ideas to reduce noise: closing the door to the ice machine room, distributing headphones for TV watching, padding high-traffic doors, installing white noise machines, and posting signs about how quiet improves rest and health. In the process of working with each other, nurses not only improved their quietness at night scores, but developed a stronger sense of teamwork. Visit the Puget Sound Alliance Splash page here.
Make your voice heard.
Patients and families have more opportunities than ever to make their voices heard.
•Hospitals with high patient experience scores are more likely to deliver high-quality care.
•In 2013, hospital pay will depend on reported patient experiences with care.
•More professional certifications renewals include a review of patients’ views on care.
The strongest force in health care improvement is you.
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Patient-Led Innovation
Communities across the U.S. are striving to improve how care is delivered and embracing new and innovated ideas. Who better to involve than the people who get the care? Five AF4Q Alliances share how involving patients in quality improvement work is transforming ambulatory care.
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Driving Improvement
AF4Q communities are pioneers in collecting and publicly reporting data on care provided by local care providers – and attribute major improvements in processes of care to the catalytic power of public reports. Get some insight from Alliances in Oregon, Minnesota, and Wisconsin
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Cost Transparency
Consumers can easily compare prices on just about any good or service in America. The exception: health care. AF4Q's National Program Director, Robert Graham, and RWJF's Senior Program Officer, Michael Painter, offer their thoughts on the complex issure of measuring health care cost and determining price. See how we define the problem here.
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Revolving Hospital Door
Nearly 20% of patients discharged from the hospital return with problems serious enough to be admitted again. Every community has unique challenges and requires tailored solutions. Alliances in Cleveland, Oregon and Humboldt County work with care coaches, payment reforms, discharge planning and other strategies to reduce readmissions.
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Putting Cost on the Table
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Facing adding cost and efficiency measures to reports of quality performance data, 3 AF4Q pioneers say to start work early, engage communities, begin with easily accessible metrics, and release data to health care professionals first.
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EHRs Improve Care
Researchers in AF4Q Cleveland found improvements in the quality of diabetes care — across insurance and socioeconomic status — in practices that used electronic health records, compared to those that were paper-based. The results were published in the recent issue of NEJM.
Improving Care Everywhere
Miss the April 25th webinar, Improving Care Everywhere: Local Solutions to National Problems? The webinar featured results from hospitals that completed the 18-month Hospital Quality Network through 3 separate initiatives: Reducing Readmissions, Increasing Throughput and Improving Language Services. View the recording here.
There is an ongoing conversation under way on Facebook, Transformation Has Begun, where you can connect with health care luminaries and those doing the hard work in the communities. Add your voice now!