As we transition into the latter half of 2025, many hospitals and healthcare systems are reflecting upon and revising their quality improvement strategies for the year. Recent conversations with three top healthcare leaders have shed light on the specific quality metrics they’re concentrating on, such as efficient patient discharges and rigorous fall prevention routines. Catherine Chang, MD and Chief Quality Officer at Prisma Health, underscored their commitment to patient trust and safe, accessible care.
Employing a ‘we will see you now’ strategy across all care settings, Prisma Health aims to improve timely and compassionate service. By leveraging data from electronic health records (EHRs), they are able to provide timely insights into waiting times and procedural scheduling to their teams, which play a crucial role in enhancing performance at both unit and practice levels. Prisma Health has also extended their service offerings to include more critical care points such as imaging services and urgent care to better cater to their ever-expanding community needs.
At the University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center Downtown, focus is centered on fall prevention, explains Barb Ditzler, MSN, RN and Manager/Director Quality and Operational Improvement. Following a series of injurious falls, the healthcare team revamped their approach towards fall risk assessment and initiated an educational course on fall risk factors. They introduced an audit tool, which nurses could use during the bedside handoff to ensure that all prescribed fall risk protocols were being adhered to.
Shannon Odell, MSN, RN and Chief Nursing Officer at Nicklaus Children’s, emphasized the ongoing work on improving patient flow. They are currently focusing on narrowing the time gap between a patient’s discharge order and their actual exit from the hospital. The goal is to have patients discharged within 45 minutes of the order placed, a challenge that the team is confident of achieving. Crucial in this process is top-down transparency and active engagement of offer nurses in the implementation and understanding of the strategies involved. Regular updates and recognitions of team milestones are integral to maintaining motivation and ensuring progress.
It’s through constant iterative processes, sharing of insights, and celebration of successes that these healthcare organizations strive forward, creating safer, more efficient environments for patient care.