In the realm of healthcare, clinical variation often serves as a hindrance to the provision of high-quality care and is also a significant contributor to increased costs. This variation usually arises from the absence of standardization, a situation that is challenging to identify and mitigate. Two prominent health systems, namely, the Montefiore Health System based in New York City, and Hartford HealthCare, have taken unique strategies to combat this issue. While Montefiore instituted a centralized command center, Hartford focused on clinician-led standardization efforts. Let’s delve into how these differing strategies have helped reduce clinical variation within the last year.
Montefiore Health System’s Assistant Vice President of Operations, Raven Carter, has emphasized how as the network has grown, the institution has centered its efforts on mitigating clinical variation via centralization. For better control over patient transfers, from within and outside their collection of 10 hospitals, the organization has launched a Command Center. The heart of the Command Center is a specialized team where admission and transfer units collaborate closely to maintain communication and process consistency. This innovation not only facilitates streamlining of case reviews but also enhances the efficiency of patient transfers across the Bronx and Westchester.
Remarkably, the centralization drive has resulted in a 33% improvement in the time it takes for a patient to receive care following the initial contact with care providers. They have also managed to cut down the response time for acute medical emergencies by eight minutes – an effort that can significantly improve patient outcomes.
On the other hand, Hartford HealthCare has successfully ingrained the principle of Clinical Care Redesign deep within the organization’s culture, as iterated by System Director, Megan Panico. This principle operates on multiple organizational levels with an overarching aim to provide high-quality care and improve health outcomes while enhancing the affordability of healthcare.
The success of this approach is owed to complete clinician engagement, transparent insights into care costs, and alignment with an integrated supply chain. Innovative ideas proposed by physicians, advanced practice providers, and nursing partners focused on reducing waste and elevating care through standardized practices have, in turn, generated quality improvements and multimillion-dollar savings over the previous year.
These contrasting yet successful strategies provide intriguing insights into how health systems can uniquely tackle the persistent issue of clinical variation, ultimately striving towards providing optimal patient care.
Source: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/quality/2-systems-cut-clinical-variation-boost-outcomes/