Partnership between Hawaii’s hospitals, the Hawaii Medical Service
Association, and Premier Inc. leads to improvements in care delivery
CHARLOTTE, N.C. & HONOLULU--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Hawaii’s hospitals are seeing improvements in healthcare quality and
patient safety through a statewide initiative with the Hawaii Medical
Service Association (HMSA) and Premier Inc. (NASDAQ: PINC). This
includes a 20 percent improvement in patient safety (based on an index
of 33 measures) and an 18 percent reduction in readmission rates across
the 13 hospitals in HMSA’s network.
HMSA, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Association, and Premier, a leading healthcare improvement company, partnered
to support providers in Hawaii through the Advanced Hospital Care
program in 2011. The program is the nation’s first statewide
collaboration between a health plan and hospitals to define and
implement new standards of quality improvement. Over a four-year
performance improvement period, one of the most prominent patient safety
accomplishments has been a substantial reduction in the rate of
hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), specifically reductions of:
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70 percent in urinary tract infections.
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62 percent in MRSA infections.
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52 percent in central line infections.
“Together, Hawaii hospitals are making significant improvements across
the spectrum of patient safety, quality, and patient experience by
sharing and comparing clinical data, outcomes, and experiences with each
other and with Premier member hospitals across the U.S.,” said Mark M.
Mugiishi, M.D., HMSA senior vice president and chief medical officer.
“Our partnership with these hospitals and Premier allows us to focus on
a common goal of sustainable, high-quality healthcare for the people of
Hawaii.”
In addition to patient safety and readmissions, Hawaii hospitals have
also improved:
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Hospice care attention to dying Medicare patients by 19 percent.
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Adherence to evidence-based best practices by 14 percent.
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Patient satisfaction by 6 percent.
“We use Premier data to identify opportunities that will enhance care
for our community,” said Laura Westphal, chief nursing officer and vice
president of patient care at Castle Medical Center in Kailua on Oahu.
“We work with Premier and its alliance members to learn best practices
and benchmark outcomes against top performers. This collaboration is
part of our day-to-day work and commitment to streamlining high-quality
care practices across our organization.”
Advanced Hospital Care is among the few initiatives in the U.S. that
uses national, as well as provider-designed and managed measures, to
improve evidence-based care, safety, patient experience, readmissions,
end-of life care, and mortality. The program uses concepts from national
policies and initiatives such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program.
Hawaii hospitals in the program also work with hundreds of other
hospitals across the U.S. as part of Premier’s nationally recognized quality
improvement collaborative, which is built on mutual trust,
transparency, and a common framework for performance improvement.
“The accomplishments these hospitals have made and this unique
partnership is a key piece in scaling innovation across our industry,”
said Merrie Wallace, BSN, MN, vice president of quality at Premier. “By
seeking to exceed new performance levels, Hawaii hospitals are inspiring
others to improve across all settings of care, benefitting patients and
building the capabilities necessary for value-based payment models.”
Through Advanced Hospital Care, HMSA provides funding for Hawaii
hospitals to use Premier analytics and services, such as Premier’s quality
improvement services and analytics, to accelerate advances in care
delivery. A significant percentage of payments for both inpatient and
outpatient care for participating hospitals are determined by their
performance on quality outcomes measured in the Advanced Hospital Care
program.
About HMSA
Caring for the people of Hawaii is HMSA’s promise and privilege. Working
together with employers, partners, physicians and other healthcare
providers, HMSA promotes well-being; develops reliable, affordable
health plans; and supports members with clear, thoughtful guidance. HMSA
is the most experienced health plan in the state, covering more than
half of Hawaii’s population. As a recognized leader, the organization
embraces its responsibility to strengthen the health and well-being of
its community. Headquartered in Honolulu with centers statewide to serve
its members, HMSA is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue
Shield Association. hmsa.com.
About Premier Inc.
Premier Inc. (NASDAQ: PINC) is a leading healthcare improvement company,
uniting an alliance of approximately 3,750 U.S. hospitals and more than
130,000 other providers of care. With integrated data and analytics,
collaboratives, supply chain solutions, and advisory and other services,
Premier enables better care and outcomes at a lower cost. Premier, a
Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient, plays a critical role
in the rapidly evolving healthcare industry, collaborating with members
to co-develop long-term innovations that reinvent and improve the way
care is delivered to patients nationwide. Headquartered in Charlotte,
N.C., Premier is passionate about transforming American healthcare.
Please visit Premier’s news and investor sites on premierinc.com.
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Source: Premier Inc.