In today’s digital healthcare age, ensuring the quality of patient care should go hand-in-hand with robust and efficient IT systems. ReMedi was recently approached by a prominent healthcare system to take a deep dive into their lagging Leapfrog survey results and was asked to outline a plan for rapid remediation. This article delves into the intricate connection between nursing documentation, hospital IT, and quality teams.

Background

The healthcare provider in focus is no small player; it’s a bustling 500-bed inpatient facility that not only boasts of a Level I trauma center but also caters to an impressive 1.3 million patients annually. Despite having a respectable CMS star rating of 4 in 2021, there lay a glaring issue – a Leapfrog score of (D) for two successive years.

Understanding the Problem

The Leapfrog Group plays a pivotal role in elevating the standards of the healthcare industry by assessing safety and quality. What’s intriguing is that a staggering 85% of the metrics they scrutinize find their roots in nursing documentation. The Leapfrog metrics echo similar measures CMS evaluates for quality and readmissions, which in turn are intertwined with the hospital reimbursement rates. Ultimately, seamless nursing documentation not only underscores quality patient care but also paves the way for better public recognition and potential enhancement in reimbursement rates.

Objective

Our mission was clear – dissect the existing survey, pinpoint areas ripe for improvement, and collaborate closely with the hospital informatics team to devise and rapidly implement a robust action plan.

Approach

Spanning eight weeks, the project kicked off with a 2-week immersion by a seasoned Clinical Informatics RN from ReMedi’s brigade. The agenda? Comprehensive on-site interaction with nursing leaders and frontline nursing staff to get a pulse of the current EMR functionality, the prevailing documentation practices, and a deep dive into workflows affecting the data crucial for both Leapfrog and CMS.

Based on the Leapfrog report’s findings, interviews were strategized, ensuring those areas lagging were attended to with priority. Once insights from the clinical team were gleaned, the next leg involved aligning with the IT team to further pinpoint avenues to enrich EMR functionality, thereby enhancing nursing documentation.

Roll Out

Having gathered a well-rounded perspective, ReMedi’s next stride was to craft a meticulous action plan to facilitate necessary system enhancements. Collaborating with IT governance councils, nursing practice councils, and the hospital’s Quality team was paramount. With the green light on the changes, our focus shifted to the development of comprehensive education and training modules to streamline the novel workflows. During the rollout phase, lasting two weeks, ReMedi fortified its presence on the ground, ensuring close collaboration with nursing units and consistent backing for the hospital leadership.

Conclusion

In the vast and ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, the marriage between quality patient care and sophisticated IT systems is indispensable. ReMedi’s journey with this healthcare system underscores the profound impact of an optimized IT system on patient care quality, public perception, and financial outcomes. We remain committed to bridging the gap between technology and care, ensuring healthcare providers are always a leap ahead in their service delivery.

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If you feel your organization could benefit from an assessment, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us directly or send a message to info@remedihs.com.