How did Michigan hospitals save over 2,000 lives as well as $300 million dollars? They implemented a pioneering, patient care program to increase safety, quality and efficiency.
Since 2003, the Michigan Health and Hospital Association (MHA) Keystone Center, a program designed to put evidence-based initiatives into practice has been doing exactly that. Of the 6 different MHA Keystone Center collaboratives: intensive care unit, emergency room, hospital associated infection, surgery, obstetrics and gift of life, all have demonstrated astounding results.
MHA Keystone Center Highlights:
Emergency Room Collaborative:
The emergency room collaborative is aimed to reduce wait times and overcrowding while advancing safety measures. As a result of the MHA Keystone: Emergency Room collaborative, from May 2010 to May 2011, participating hospitals saw a 29% drop in patients who left the ER without being seen.
Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) Collaborative:
As the largest collaborative, MHA Keystone: HAI seeks to reduce the estimated annual 99,000 associated deaths and $6.65 billion in surplus health costs. The initiative is aiming to reduce HAIs by means of two bundled techniques:
• “Timely removal of nonessential catheters and appropriate care of necessary catheters.”
• “Appropriate placement and proper insertion technique” of catheters.
Participating hospitals that have implemented the first technique reduced patients with urinary catheters 26% and improved appropriate use by 30% from January 2007 to December 2010.
Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Collaborative:
The MHA Keystone: ICU goal was to reduce the occurrence of central-line- associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) as well as ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in ICUs. From March 2010 – March 2011, participating hospitals instituting the initiative saved a combined 115 lives resulting in $8.6 million in net savings. Even more impressive was a study conducted after MHA Keystone: ICU was implemented, involving Medicare patients’ risk of dying. Researchers found a 24% decreased risk of mortality if in a Michigan ICU, 8% more than surrounding Midwestern states that did not implement the collaborative.
With the effects becoming more distinguished, the MHA continues its effort to influence hospitals and health systems across the nation: helping curb health care costs, increase quality of care, team communication and collaboration, and overall efficiency.
To view the MHA Safety and Quality report in its entirety see here.
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