Case Studies Highlight Value of Health IT in Patient Care

Three new Stories of Success! case study program selections are now available on the HIMSS website

CHICAGO – (July 19, 2012) –Three healthcare organizations share their best practices and patient care improvements with examples illustrating the value of health information technology and positive patient outcomes in their respective settings. These new case studies are part of the Stories of Success! program from HIMSS and co-sponsors American Society for Quality (ASQ), National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF).

“These three case studies were selected in the third cycle of our call for Stories of Success, a program focused on outstanding accomplishment in the adoption and of use of health IT to meet specific goals and priorities,” said Louis Diamond, M.B. Ch.B., F.A.C.P. , F.C.P. (S.A.), FHIMSS. He is chair, HIMSS Stories of Success Work Group, and former chair, HIMSS Patient Safety and Quality Outcomes Committee; he is president, Quality Health Care Advisory Group. The case studies, as Dr. Diamond explained, fulfill national priorities recommended by the National Priorities Partnership (NPP), The Joint Commission’s (TJC) National Patient Safety Goals and/or Partnership for Patients Goals, and the Triple Aim Initiative, a framework developed by the Institute for Health Improvement to optimize health system performance. “We are also using the SQUIRE reporting tool as a framework for reporting these case studies, since it is specifically designed for reporting of quality and process improvement projects.”

Information on the three selected case studies follows.

1.      Chinese Community Health Care Association, San Francisco: CCHCA approached improving care, increasing coordination and reducing enterprise-wide costs with the implementation of a “searchable” health information exchange resulting in a 25 percent improvement in the accuracy of problem lists for patients.

2.      Maimonides Medical Center’s case study, “Closing the Communication Gap Between Diagnostic Radiology and Clinicians,” showcases how a Critical Test Result Management (CTRM) system can address patient safety and care outcomes associated with potential delays and/or failures in the communication of critical and/or urgent test results.  Additionally, the case study highlights a recent survey Maimonides Medical Center conducted that emphasizes other benefits associated with adoption of a CTRM system, such as improved radiology/clinical workflow and satisfaction.

3.      Texas Health Resources, Arlington, Texas/Using Technology to Reduce Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections:  To help prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infections, Texas Health Resources (Texas Health) developed guidelines and a best practice protocol that was approved by the system’s Medical Executive Committees. Within three months of deployment of this protocol, Texas Health saw a 26 percent reduction in the number of catheter line days and averages 29 percent usage of best practice protocols.

“With these three new selections, the HIMSS Stories of Success! program now includes 32 case studies that offer best practices for using digital technology to improve patient care. These healthcare providers shared both the challenges they faced and the patient care solutions they implemented with health IT as the foundation for their success,” says Jonathan French, Director, Healthcare Information, Systems, for HIMSS.

Submit Case Studies:  The new call for Stories of Success case studies is now open with all submissions on Oct. 1, 2012.  A peer review body will select the final Stories of Success! case studies, which will appear on the HIMSS website. In addition, health IT professionals submitting case studies may be selected to showcase their project at HIMSS13 Poster Sessions. Members of the HIMSS Quality, Cost Safety Committee and additional subject matter experts from organizations, such as The Joint Commission, the National Committee for Quality Assurance and the American Society for Quality, provide support to this review process. The National Quality Forum also supports the project.

·         Find out more about the Stories of Success! program.

·          Read the Stories of Success! case studies.

·          Submit a Stories of Success! case study.

About HIMSS

HIMSS is a cause-based, not-for-profit organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare. Founded 51 years ago, HIMSS and its related organizations are headquartered in Chicago with additional offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. HIMSS represents more than 44,000 individual members, of which more than two thirds work in healthcare provider, governmental and not-for-profit organizations. HIMSS also includes over 570 corporate members and more than 170 not-for-profit organizations that share our mission of transforming healthcare through the effective use of information technology and management systems. HIMSS frames and leads healthcare practices and public policy through its content expertise, professional development, research initiatives, and media vehicles designed to promote information and management systems’ contributions to improving the quality, safety, access, and cost-effectiveness of patient care. To learn more about HIMSS and to find out how to join us and our members in advancing our cause, please visit our website at www.himss.org.

   

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