Minnesota hospitals improve patient safety

Partnership for Patients initiative is improving patient care by reducing readmissions, falls and pressure ulcers

ST. PAUL, Minn., Dec. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Concluding the first year of a two-year contract from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Minnesota's hospitals participating in the Partnership for Patients Hospital Engagement Network record the prevention of more than 3,200 readmissions, 463 fewer patients experiencing a fall, and 158 fewer patients experiencing a pressure ulcer. The initiative builds on the Minnesota Hospital Association's (MHA) award-winning Call-to-Action framework launched in 2007 and the statewide Reducing Avoidable Readmissions Effectively (RARE) campaign.

The aim of the 26 hospital engagement networks across the country is to identify solutions already working to reduce health care-acquired conditions, and work to spread them to other hospitals and health care providers. The Partnership has two specific aims:

• Reduce hospital acquired conditions by 40 percent, and
• Reduce preventable hospital readmissions by 20 percent by 2013

"Minnesota has been recognized by other states as a leader in patient safety and quality care," said Lawrence Massa, president and CEO of MHA. "Our hospitals have demonstrated commitment to transparency and are dedicated to continuous quality improvement."

The 104 MHA Hospital Engagement Network participating hospitals are committed to focusing on the top 10 hospital-acquired conditions: adverse drug events; health care-associated infections (catheter-associated urinary tract infections, central-line-associated bloodstream infections, surgical site infections and ventilator-associated pneumonia); injuries from falls and immobility; obstetrical adverse events; pressure ulcers; preventable readmissions; and venous thromboembolism. Key accomplishments include:

• A nearly 32 percent improvement in patient falls since 2010
• 45 percent reduction in pressure ulcers since 2010
• 3,200 fewer readmissions since 2009
• National attention for the Road Map to a Medication Safety Program; to be rolled out to more than 500 hospitals nationwide
• 94 percent of patients receive appropriate venous thromboembolism preventative treatments within 48 hours

MHA has helped hospitals prevent adverse events by promoting the implementation of evidence-based strategies to reduce health care-acquired conditions. Health-care acquired conditions are specific conditions that a patient acquires while an inpatient and that can be reasonably prevented. This innovative approach prevents patient harm and provides the clinical best practices as well as the infrastructure necessary to help hospitals achieve quality measurement goals and to support implementation and sustainment.  

Now that a strong infrastructure has been established, the second year of the contract will focus on consistent implementation of the established best practices and reporting on all relevant measures across hospitals to reach the goal of a 40 percent reduction in hospital-acquired conditions and a 20 percent reduction in readmissions by the end of 2013.

The Minnesota Hospital Association helps 144 hospitals and health systems provide quality care for their patients and communities.

SOURCE Minnesota Hospital Association