Knowledge on the Go

Sepsis management

Effectively managing sepsis is a challenge in every health care organization, and it has required an extensive and involving program at the medical center for Keck Medicine of USC in Los Angeles. Keeping clinicians, particularly physicians, engaged is crucial to improving clinical outcomes in sepsis patients. This podcast delves into real-world, essential details about how both the work of a physician champion and the use of supporting data have contributed to effective sepsis management.
 
Guest speakers:
Lisa Johnson, DNP, MSN, RN, CENP
Director
Quality and Outcomes Management
USC-Keck Medical Center
 
Tarina Lee Kang, MD
Clinical Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine
Medical Director, Quality
Keck School of Medicine of USC
 
Tusdi Rodriguez, BSN, RN, OCN
Clinical Quality Specialist
USC-Keck Medical Center
 
Moderator:
Marilyn Sherrill, MBA, RN
PI Program Director
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[00:25] Start of the new sepsis initiative at USC-Keck Medical Center (Lisa Johnson)
[01:51] Challenges in prior efforts and changes made (Tusdi Rodriguez)
[03:07] Role of the physician champion (Tarina Kang)
[03:53] Attitude to take when working with physicians on sepsis – the long game (Kang)
[05:29] Value of physician champion in saying what others cannot (Johnson)
[06:07] Preparing for the crucial conversation – know the patient (Kang, Rodriguez)
[09:10] Rundown of a successful sepsis management framework (Johnson)
 
Links | Resources:
Archived video of PI Collaborative on Sepsis Management Click here
Slide presentation from Vizient PI Collaborative on Sepsis Management Click here
 
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Social Determinants of Health

Social determinants of health is a problem that affects all American communities. Every hospital needs to assess their community’s social needs, some do it better than others. This podcast highlights one organization with a unique approach on how to identify individuals with social needs and address those needs.
 
Guest speakers:
Kathryn Bazylewicz
Vice President, Marketing and Population Health
Cottage Health 
 
Monica Ray
Population Health Strategic Development Manager
Cottage Health
 
Host: 
Kellie Goodson, MS, CPXP
Performance Improvement Program Director
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[00:27] Cottage Health is located in Santa Barbara, California
[00:50] Cottage Health has centralized its population health efforts
[01:36] Santa Barbara has 12% of the overall population is below the poverty line, and the county has the highest percentage of homeless students and the third highest percentage of families in poverty.
[02:08] Ron Werft, Cottage Health CEO, started the organization’s vision for population health
[02:08] In 2015, Cottage Health changed their mission statement to include the words, “improve the health of our communities,” and then launched our new organizational focus on population health.
[02:33] Cottage Health’s Center for Population Health works to improve health and wellness, focusing on equity for the most vulnerable in their hospitals and in the community.
[03:00] Started with a community health needs assessment
[03:30] After collecting community data, they published the results on CottageData2go.com  
[04:20] Cottage Health staffing for their Center for Population Health
[04:55] Cottage Health CEO and population health team conducted “Listening Tours” with up to 250 community members to gather their assessment of the community’s health needs.
[06:00] Learned that Cottage Health employees need help too.  
[06:35] They set up the Employee Resource Connect to partner with human resources to screen all employees for food, housing, transportation and behavioral health needs. Discovered that 25% of their employees need help.
[07:00] Developed a food program for employees.
[08:50] Expanded screening to other patient populations.
 
Links | Resources:
Cottage Center for Population Health Click here
Cottage Health’s Community Health Needs Assessment Click here
Cottage Data2Go Click here
Modern Practice podcast, “The effect of COVID-19 on social determinants of health – Part 1” Click here
Modern Practice podcast, “The effect of COVID-19 on social determinants of health – Part 2” Click here
“Addressing Social Determinants of Health During COVID-19 and Beyond: Leveraging Collaboration and Partnerships,” Shaifali Ray and Karyl Kopaskie Click here
“Addressing Social Determinants of Health During COVID-19 and Beyond: Leveraging Data that Matters,” Heather Blonsky Click here
Addressing Social Determinants of Health During COVID-19 and Beyond: How to Find Your Organization’s Fit,” Shaifali Ray and Karyl Click here
 
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Capacity management

Managing patient capacity in a health care facility is a complex, crucial undertaking that involves teamwork across the care continuum. On this episode, leaders from Keck Medicine of USC discuss their areas of focus to get their capacity management program off the ground, how they pulled together the right individuals to improve their process and the steps other organizations can take to get their own program going.
 
Guest speakers:
Dana Asato, MBA, RN, CENP, CSSMBB
Manager
Capacity Management and Staffing Solutions
Keck Medicine of USC
 
Jason Willardson, MHA
Process Architect
Keck Medicine of USC
 
Moderator:
Courtney Furrow-White, RN, MPA
PI Program Director
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[00:30] Rationale for the program
[02:32] Getting the right team in place and the role of the Vizient collaborative
[03:41] Engaging the team
[04:56] Reducing patient length of stay
[07:53] The role of the Vizient Clinical Data Base (CDB)
[08:55] Involving new areas in the program
[10:43] How to get started
 
Links | Resources:
Archived video of PI Collaborative on Capacity Management Click here
Slide presentation from Vizient PI Collaborative on Capacity Management Click here
 
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High reliability

One of the most compelling lessons Marcia Baker learned from a recent Vizient High Reliability and Sustainability Benchmarking Study is that “variation hides issues.” She and her colleague Sandy Cox have worked to uncover those issues and, in Sandy’s words, “Fix the problem.” On this podcast, Marcia and Sandy share about the efforts across Novant Health to engage team members to uncover issues, fix the problem and bring high reliability and safety to patient care.
 
Guest speakers:
Marcia C. Baker, MSN, DHA, RN, CPPS
Director, Patient Safety
Novant Health Clinical Excellence
 
Sandy J. Cox, RN, BSN, CIC
Director, Patient Safety
Novant Health Clinical Excellence
 
Moderator:
Jim Lichauer, PharmD, BCPS, FASHP
PI Program Director, Pharmacy
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[00:30] Novant Health’s goal for patient care
[00:51] Beginning of the journey
[02:17] Safety huddles, visual management boards and other approaches
[05:36] Getting the word out
[08:25] Involvement in Vizient’s High Reliability and Sustainability Benchmarking Study
[09:12] Variation hides issues
[09:40] Story of a safety initiative
 
Links | Resources:
Data from Vizient’s High Reliability and Sustainability Benchmarking Study Click here
Novant Health recognized by Leapfrog Group Click here
 
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Well-being: Leading your staff during a crisis – Part 2

The Coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on hospitals and clinicians across the country. As the surge persists, staff stressors increase, and the relentless pressure compounds the seriousness of the problem. This episode reveals how Rush University Medical Center’s Strategic Communications department became a key player in helping the hospital, staff and community cope during the COVID pandemic crisis.
 
Guest speaker:
Anne Burgeson
Associate Vice President, Strategic Communications
Rush University Medical Center
 
Moderator:
Nicole Spatafora, MS-HSM
Senior Director, PI Collaboratives
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[00:27] Rush staff were very stressed as they prepared for “tsunami” of COVID heading their way and their first patient
[00:55] Rush set up a Hospital Incident Command to prepare for COVID pandemic
[01:50] Volume of positive COVID patients at Rush University Medical Center
[02:10] Established a communication plan and collaborated with command center and senior leaders
[02:50] Rumors were controlled by transparency and consistency in communications
[03:57] Rush used every means possible to spread the latest information – emails, newsletters and intranet accessibility at home, including positive articles, message boards and Q&A
[05:08] Senior leaders rounded seven days a week to directly answer questions and thank staff for coming to work and caring for patients in such an amazing way
[05:27] Started virtual town hall meetings
[06:05] Staff relied on constant and trusted communication
[06:49] Engagement survey numbers showed staff were still excited to come and do their jobs
[07:30] Robust communication to support community’s knowledge of latest COVID information
[08:30] Preparation for emergencies and frequent, reliable communications helped hospitals, staff and people around the world in a meaningful way
 
Links | Resources:
CDC: Stress & Coping Click here
AMA: Caring for Health Care workers during a crisis, Creating a resilient organization Click here
Harvard Medical School: Strengthening Resiliency in Health Care Providers During the COVID-19 Pandemic Click here
American Academy of Pediatrics: TheResilienceProject. We can stop toxic stress Click here
 
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Well-being: Leading your staff during a crisis – Part 1

The Coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on clinicians across the country. As the surge persists, staff stressors increase, and the relentless pressure compounds the seriousness of the problem.  This episode reveals how a new Chief Medical Officer at Loyola Medical Center helped his staff and himself get through this unusual crisis event.
 
Guest speaker:
Kevin Smith, MD, MBA (Guest)Chief Medical OfficerLoyola University Medical Center
 
Moderator:
Nicole Spatafora, MS-HSM Senior Director, PI CollaborativesVizient
 
Show Notes:
[00:19] Loyola staff felt fear and confusion when COVID hit
[00:56] Kevin Smith was a new Chief Medical Officer when the pandemic hit
[01:18] Leadership team was new to Loyola
[01:48] Leadership stayed on campus to work through problems, and developed trust in each other
[02:34] Leadership tried to reassure staff they were being as transparent as possible
[03:05] Physicians wanted to hear from their local leader, but message had to be consistent with other messages
[03:38] Started virtual town halls
[04:00] Daily huddles with leadership
[04:25] Loyola’s three hospitals coordinated care with thee times a week leadership calls, forming a tight, regional bond
[05:16] Lessons learned as a leader who brought his staff through a crisis event
 
Links | Resources:
American Psychological Association: Building your resilience  Click Here
CDC: Stress & Coping Click Here
AMA: Caring for Health Care workers during a crisis, Creating a resilient organization  Click Here
Harvard Medical School: Strengthening Resiliency in Health Care Providers During the COVID-19 Pandemic Click Here
 
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Managing high utilizers

Patients who are high utilizers, also known as multi-visit patients (MVPs) or frequent flyers, whether found in the ED, inpatient units or other departments, drive up readmission rates and tie up resources. Often, clinicians and administrators hold out little hope that they can end the multi-visit cycles of these patients. Yet, by looking at a patient’s multiple visits as a symptom of a deeper problem, and then identifying and rectifying that underlying problem, clinicians can end a patient’s cycle of care utilization.
 
On this podcast, a leading expert in high-utilizer care discusses her MVP Method, used successfully in a recent Vizient performance improvement collaborative. The general principles and actions of the MVP Method can revolutionize care, break the cycle of utilization and change the life of your patients.
 
Guest speaker:
Amy Boutwell, MD, MPP
President
Collaborative Healthcare Strategies
 
Moderator:
Heather Forst-Ramirez, MS
Performance Improvement Program Director
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[00:35] Looking at the high utilizers
[01:17] Conventional approach: nothing can be done
[01:34] High utilizers account for 50 percent of readmissions
[02:12] Defining patients who are high utilizers
[02:56] How the Vizient PI Collaborative tackled the challenge
[03:29] Details and strategies in the MVP Method
[06:12] Addressing the challenges and the drivers of utilization
[07:52] One patient’s story: a life transformed
 
Resources:
High Utilizer (MVP) Collaborative Guidebook (Vizient, Jan 2021) Click here
Lessons Learned from the High Utilizer Collaborative: Case Study (Vizient) Click here
When Being an MVP is Not a Good Thing (Health Care Quality Innovation Network, Sep 2020) Click here
Readmissions News: MVP Method Click here
Designing and Delivering Whole-Person Transitional Care Click here
 
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COPD Chronic Care

In this program, Curt  Muhammad from University of Washington Harborview shares his insights on how Harborview Medical Center leadership established a respiratory protocol that included staff training for social determinants of health. The effort would generate better results for those patients and better effectiveness for the staff.
 
Guests:
Curt Muhammad, RRT, MSW
COPD Case Manager
Harborview Medical Center
 
Resources:
Watch the COPD Chronic Care webcast here for additional details.
 
For more information, email knowledgetransfer@vizientinc.com
 
Show Notes:
[00:00 – 01:25]  Establish respiratory protocol for COPD patient
[01:25 – 02:39]  Need for staff training
[02:40 – 04:26]  Alleviating staff concerns and training for social determinants of health
[04:27 – 04:39]  Seeing the benefits of the training for staff and patients
[04:40 – 07:45]  Other positive results from the protocol
[07:46 – 08:34]  Harborview leadership gained valuable insight
[08:35 – 09:50]  Patients taught everyone a bigger lesson
 
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Using Data to Reduce Opioids in Orthopedics

Lehigh Valley Health Network recently participated in a Vizient Performance Improvement Collaborative that reduced the use of opioids in orthopedic surgery. The key to success was convincing clinicians to join the initiative and fully participate. On this podcast, you’ll hear from two leaders at Lehigh Valley who share how they used data to accomplish this goal.
 
Guest speakers:
Matthew McCambridge, MD, MHQS
Senior Vice President
Chief Quality and Patient Safety Officer
Lehigh Valley Health Network
 
Joshua Rosentel, BSN, RN
Senior Clinical Quality Information Specialist
Lehigh Valley Health Network
 
Moderator:
Marilyn Sherrill, RN, MBA, CNOR, CPHQ
Knowledge Transfer Director
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[00:26] The interview that started the initiative
[01:38] Joining the Vizient collaborative
[02:20] An opioid problem in Pennsylvania
[02:40] The challenge of provider variation
[02:52] Physicians and data
[03:21] One slide is all that’s needed
[04:17] Telling the story
[05:02] Data transparency and benchmarking
[06:12] Taking the approach to other clinical areas
[07:09] The role of Vizient’s CDB
 
Links | Resources:
Program handout from October 28, 2020 Vizient Medical Leadership Series webcast Click here
Link to October 28 webcast Click here
“The Opioid Epidemic: Impact on Orthopaedic Surgery” (Journal of the AAOS) Click here
 
For more information, email knowledgetransfer@vizientinc.com
 
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Improving Ortho Implants

Hospitals are constantly faced with the pressure to improve quality and outcomes while reducing costs. Keir Mitchell and Kendra Pitts from the University of Illinois highlight their achievements in establishing a utilization protocol – with appropriate resources, including implants, for the orthopedic product category. They also discuss how participation in a Vizient Performance Improvement Collaborative focused on establishing protocols for orthopedic implants shaped their efforts in the process.
 
Guests:
Keir Mitchell, PT, PhD, GCS
Director, Musculoskeletal Clinical Services
University of Illinois Health
 
Kendra Pitts, MS
Assistant Director, Value Analysis Program
University of Illinois Health
 
Carla Stephens, CMRP, LSSGB
Collaborative Advisor
Vizient
 
Host:
Kelly Randall
Knowledge Transfer Director
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[00:00 – 02:20]  Beginning the University of Illinois orthopedic utilization protocol
[02:20 – 03:23]  Working with Physicians on the orthopedic utilization protocol
[03:24 – 04:12]  Selection of team members
[04:13 – 05:54]  Building a case for change
[05:55 – 06:12]  Importance of data in developing orthopedic utilization protocol
[06:14 – 06:45]  Results from the protocol
[06:46 – 07:23]  Working with new technology
 
For more information, email knowledgetransfer@vizientinc.com
 
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