Improving Quality

Champion Nursing Coalition

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 11:09:00 GMT

NAPH has joined forces with other national stakeholders in the Champion Nursing Coalition, with the goal of ensuring all Americans have access to a highly-skilled nurse when and where they need one.

Champion Nursing Coalition Members

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 11:27:32 GMT

View a PDF list of Champion Nursing Coalition members from the coalition's website.

Champion Nursing Coalition Guiding Principles

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 11:26:57 GMT

Learn more from the coalition about its guiding principles.

The Future of Nursing Report

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 11:26:03 GMT

This report from the Institute of Medicine provides an action-oriented blueprint for the future of nursing in the United States and details for key messages. View the report online for free, or download in PDF format by clicking "PDF Book - Free" format and selecting "download the report."

Guiding principles of the coalition include:

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 11:31:13 GMT

. Recognition of the crucial role nurses play in delivering high quality, affordable health care;

. Concern about the shortage of highly educated nurses in many sectors of the health care delivery system that exists today and is predicted to grow in the future;

. Commitment to educate ourselves and others about the need to remove barriers and increase access to high quality, nurse-provided and affordable health care; increase nursing education capacity; improve recruitment and retention; increase the influence of nurses; and build a 21st century nurse workforce; and,

. Pledge to find solutions that improve consumer access to high-quality nursing care through public, private and other means, including as a part of efforts to implement health care reform.

Concurrent work with "The Future of Nursing"

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 11:31:50 GMT

In addition to the coalition, Jane Hooker, Assistant Vice President for Quality at NAPH, serves as an implementation participant for The Future of Nursing, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation initiative at the Institute of Medicine. The Future of Nursing report makes four key recommendations for an action-oriented blueprint for the future of nursing:

. Nurses should practice to the full extent of their education and training;

. Nurses should achieve higher levels of education and training through an improved education system that promotes seamless academic progression;

. Nurses should be full partners, with physicians and other health care professionals, in redesigning health care in the United States; and,

. Effective workforce planning and policy making require better data collection and an improved information infrastructure.

Coalition Overview

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 11:11:42 GMT

Quick summary of the Champion Nursing Coalition.

NAPH-HRET Education Partnership with AHRQ

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 11:22:46 GMT

NAPH is collaborating with the American Hospital Association's research affiliate, the Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET), to provide NAPH members with educational programming and training for a series of resources available through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

NAPH-HRET Education Partnership with AHRQ Overview

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 15:33:46 GMT

6/3/10: Project RED: Application to Participate in the Program

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:59:22 GMT

6/3/10: Project RED: Invitation to Participate in the Program

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:00:09 GMT

5/18/10: Introduction to the NAPH-HRET/AHRQ Partnership and Next Steps for NAPH Members - Webinar

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 11:43:38 GMT

This webinar provided an overview of the partnership between NAPH and HRET- AHRQ. Staff from HRET described three of the programs identified as priorities by members (Door to Doc, Inpatient Quality and Safety Indicators, and Avoidable Readmissions/Project RED). The group determined next steps for these 3 programs and identified the next set of priority topics.

Steve Hines, PhD
Vice President, Research
Health Research and Educational Trust

David Schulke
Vice President, Research Programs
Health Research and Educational Trust

6/3/10: Project RED Program Follow-up - Webinar

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:58:19 GMT
Dr. Nadzam provided an overview of JCR's plans for working with organizations who want to engage in reducing their readmissions with the use of Project RED. At the end of the call, organizations that were interested in participating with JCR on this topic, were able to provide their contact information to Dr. Nadzam who arranged for the next steps.

NAPH-NPSF Patient Safety Initiative

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:10:49 GMT

January 2011: The Patient Safety Initiative at America's Public Hospitals: The Year One Overview

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:40:06 GMT
Through a generous grant from the Kaiser Permenente Community Benefit Fund, NAPH partnered with the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) to offer The Patient Safety Initiative at America's Public Hospitals. This brief summarizes projects and activities that NAPH members implemented as part of this program and how they were able to achieve various patient safety goals.

Program Overview

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 10:56:50 GMT
Details about program components, goals and other important information.

NAPH Member Participants

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 10:47:32 GMT
Find out which NAPH members are participating in the initiative.

Program Introduction

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 10:40:31 GMT

Patient Safety Awareness Week, March 6-12, 2011

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 10:07:59 GMT
Patient Safety Awareness Week (PSAW) is a national education and awareness-building campaign sponsored by the National Patient Safety Foundation to boost patient safety at the local level. Hospitals and healthcare organizations across the globe participate by planning events and displaying materials that promote patient safety within their own organizations. Awareness activities focus on educating patients about how to become involved in their own health care, as well as working with hospitals to build partnerships with their patient community. Are You In? Commit to Safe Health Care - be a part of the 2011 campaign!

January 2011: The Patient Safety Initiative at America's Public Hospitals: The Year One Overview

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:40:06 GMT
Through a generous grant from the Kaiser Permenente Community Benefit Fund, NAPH partnered with the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) to offer The Patient Safety Initiative at America's Public Hospitals. This brief summarizes projects and activities that NAPH members implemented as part of this program and how they were able to achieve various patient safety goals.

Reducing Readmissions

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 11:51:31 GMT

The Care Transitions Program (Eric Coleman, University of Colorado, Denver School of Medicine)

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:42:56 GMT
A no-cost, four-week program from the University of Colorado for hospitals interested in better managing hospital-to-home transitions for patients with complex care needs.

The BOOSTing Care Transitions Resource Room (Society of Hospital Medicine)

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:19:15 GMT
The Society of Hospital Medicine shares materials on optimizing the discharge process.

Health Care Leader Action Guide to Reduce Avoidable Readmissions (The Commonwealth Fund and Health Research & Educational Trust)

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:17:55 GMT
A guide (PDF) designed to serve as a starting point for hospital leaders to assess, prioritize, implement and monitor strategies to reduce avoidable readmissions.

How-To Guide: Creating an Ideal Transition Home (Institute for Healthcare Improvement)

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:15:58 GMT
IHI created this guide (PDF) to support individuals and organizations in their work to improve transitions of care.

Health Care Provider Tools to Support Care Transitions (National Transition of Care Coalition)

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:13:31 GMT
The NTOCC provides multiple tools on their website to assist providers in improving transitions between care settings.

The Transitional Care Model (Mary Naylor, The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing)

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:04:53 GMT
This model can be implemented to improve in-hospital planning and home follow-up care for chronically ill, older adults hospitalized for common medical and surgical conditions.

Readmissions Overview

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:02:49 GMT
Many NAPH members regard reducing readmissions as vital, and several have implemented quality improvement projects to achieve this feat.

100,000 Homes Campaign

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:56:41 GMT

100,000 Homes Campaign

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:21:06 GMT
Find more information on this project, which aims to find permanent housing for 100,000 chronically homeless individuals by 2013.

Common Ground

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:22:29 GMT
NAPH has partnered with Common Ground, a pioneer in the development of supportive housing and other research-based practices targeting homelessness, to help endorse the 100,000 Homes Campaign.

Institute for Healthcare Improvement

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:23:10 GMT
NAPH has partnered with IHI in endorsing the 100,000 Homes Campaign.

The HEARTH Act

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:24:12 GMT
Signed into law by President Obama on May 20, 2009, the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act expands the Department of Housing and Urban Development's homeless assistance programs by expanding homelessness prevention programs, incentivizing rapid re-housing, creating permanent supportive housing for people experiencing chronic homelessness, and providing more flexibility and assistance for capacity building in rural communities.

Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:24:57 GMT
The 2010 Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness focuses on four key goals: (1) end chronic homelessness in five years; (2) prevent and end homelessness among Veterans in five years; (3) prevent and end homelessness for families, youth, and children in 10 years; and (4) set a path to ending all types of homelessness.

Boston Healthcare for the Homesless Program

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:25:40 GMT
As the largest and most comprehensive health care for the homeless program in the U.S., BHCHP seeks to provide and assure access to the highest quality health care for Boston's homeless men, women and children.

100,000 Homes Campaign Progress

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:50:50 GMT
Check to see if your city, county or state is currently enrolled in this campaign (updated Feb. 11, 2011).

NAPH members are participating in this project:

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:31:10 GMT
. Boston Medical Center
. New York Health and Hospital Corporation's Bellevue Hospital Center, Woodhull Medical & Mental Health Center and Elmhurst Hospital Center
. Denver Health
. Grady Memorial
. Los Angeles County Department of Health Services - LAC+USC Healthcare Network, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center

Vulnerability Index: Prioritizing the Street Homeless Population by Mortality Risk

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:59:51 GMT
The model for identification of the patients most in need is based on a formula created directly from the research of Drs. Jim O'Connell and Steven Hwang from Boston Medical Center. The Index is designed to facilitate the identification of homeless individuals most at risk for a premature death while living on the street.

Characteristics of the Vulnerability Index:
. More than three hospitalizations or emergency room visits in a year
. More than three emergency room visits in the previous three months
. Age 60 or older
. Cirrhosis of the liver
. End-stage renal disease
. History of frostbite, immersion foot or hypothermia
. HIV+/AIDs
. Tri-morbidity: co-occurring psychiatric, substance abuse, and chronic medical condition

Contact Us:

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:17:42 GMT
If you would like to address these issues at your organization, consider joining this initiative by contacting Jane Hooker at [email protected]">[email protected] or Catherine Craig at [email protected]">[email protected]

11/3/10: Meeting the Needs of Special Populations with Special Programs -100,000 Homes Webinar

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:48:39 GMT
Dr. Jim O'Connell discusses the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program. Dr. O'Connell and his team have developed a program to meet the needs of this vulnerable population using the principals of public health. The program involves a comprehensive electronic medical record, tracking longitudinal data on key metrics, compliance for certain screening interventions for preventive care, and outcome measures such as mortality. The program's Board of Directors is composed of individuals who are currently or have been homeless. Later, Becky Kanis from Common Ground discusses the national 100,000 Homes Campaign, developed in conjunction with the IHI to provide sustainable housing for 100,000 of the most vulnerable chronically homeless individuals. Individuals are prioritized as most in need of housing by the Vulnerability Index - developed by the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless team. Finally, Elizabeth Boyce from LA County Department of Health Services discusses the current activities supported in her community to develop appropriate and comprehensive services for this group of individuals. Speakers: James J. O'Connell, M.D., President, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program

Becky Kanis, Director, Innovation, Common Ground

Elizabeth Boyce, Homeless Services Manager, Los Angeles County Department of Health

Overview

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 09:53:06 GMT

Research Brief: NAPH Members Continue to Improve on Key Quality Measures - June 2010

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 16:10:51 GMT
NAPH continuously tracks member performance on publicly reported quality measures. This Research Brief looks at the latest data release on CMS's Hospital Compare website and analyzes longitudinal trends between the averaged NAPH member scores and the averaged U.S. hospital scores. It concludes that NAPH members continue to outperform non-members on most core measures.

Scholarship Opportunities

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 17:05:13 GMT
Find resources that support quality improvement training for our members, including NAPH-administered scholarships from the Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit Fund.

AHRQ Healthcare 411 Podcast

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:21:17 GMT
The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's "Healthcare 411" is an audio news source providing practical health care information, research findings and data to help health providers, researchers, policymakers, consumers and other stakeholders make informed decisions about health care issues.

National Patient Safety Foundation

Tue, 19 May 2009 17:42:06 GMT
The National Patient Safety Foundation is an independent not-for-profit organization that has been diligently pursuing one mission since its founding in 1997 - improving the safety of the healthcare system. Today, it remains the sole organization in the field with this singular focus.

AHRQ Patient Safety Self Assessment Tool

Tue, 19 May 2009 17:29:00 GMT
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) mission is to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans. Information from AHRQ's research helps people make more informed decisions and improve the quality of health care services. Examining patient safety culture from a hospital staff perspective, this survey allows hospitals to assess their safety culture and to track changes in their patient safety culture over time.

Overview

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:04:52 GMT

Distance Learning Programs

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:35:45 GMT

7/21/09: The National Healthcare Quality Reports and National Healthcare Disparities Reports

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:28:53 GMT
This call presented the latest available findings on the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality"s (AHRQ) National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR) which measures trends in effectiveness of care, patient safety, timeliness of care, patient centeredness, and efficiency of care.

06/02/09: The Joint Commission's Draft Standards to Advance Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and Patient-Centered Care

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:18:28 GMT
This call focused on the development and feasibility of draft standards, ideas for improvement, and resources The Joint Commission is preparing to help hospitals implement proposed cultural competency and communication standards. An implementation guide was also presented that was developed to help hospitals meet these standards.

05/26/09: An Overview of the National Quality Forum and the Role for NAPH Members

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:09:20 GMT
The National Quality Forum (NQF) is a not-for-profit membership organization created to develop and implement a national strategy for health care quality measurement and reporting. The purpose of this call was to provide an overview of NQF's national goals and priorities. Dr. Burstin, Senior Vice President for Performance Measures at NQF, described how NQF processes measures for development, review, and endorsement of quality and patient safety measures. She also described NQF's health care quality national priorities, and the role NAPH members can play on expert panels and technical advisory committees. Speakers from member hospitals discussed their experiences serving on NQF technical advisory committees and how they were able to influence national measures.

05/12/09: HHS Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:45:03 GMT
Dr. Don Wright, HHS Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, provided an overview of the coordinated HHS effort to reduce and prevent healthcare-associated infections, including proposed uses of federal funds to implement the steps outlined in the Action Plan and next steps to further the effort.

04/28/09: Accreditation in 2009: The Joint Commission and New Accreditor, DNV NIAHO

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:45:41 GMT
This call provided an update of the 2009 changes to The Joint Commission (TJC) accreditation process, including the new TJC scoring process being used in 2009, the formal application of TJC to receive hospital deeming authority from CMS, and the broad changes this will require in current standards. The presentation also included an overview of the new accrediting body, DNV Healthcare Inc.'s National Integrated Accreditation for Healthcare Organizations Program (DNV NIAHO) and the significant differences between this accreditor's approach and that of TJC.

04/21/09: An Overview of Patient Safety Organizations

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:31:16 GMT
This call provided an overview of the national Patient Safety Act and Patient Safety Organizations (PSO). Ms. Clevenger, Director of Patient Safety for the University HealthSystem Consortium, discussed the purpose of a PSO, reporting of patient safety events to a PSO and what this means to an organization. She also discussed UHC's role as a PSO and its ongoing work with AHRQ.

03/31/09: Strategies to Improve Patient Safety: Lessons from Public Hospitals and Health Systems

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:26:55 GMT
This call provided a forum for safety net hospitals to share strategies, challenges and best practices in patient safety. NAPH member hospitals discussed their experiences and lessons learned around engaging hospital leadership, managers and front line staff to support patient safety from all levels and to ensure that everyone has the skills, knowledge and tools to maintain and maximize patient care.

03/17/09: Measuring Patients' Perceptions of Their Hospital Experience: Strategies To Enhance and Boost Your HCAHPS Scores

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:16:06 GMT
NAPH members share strategies, challenges and tips to improve HCAHPS performance. Dr. Hullett and Daryll Webb from Cooper Green Hospital tell how they made the "honor roll" in patient satisfaction and the challenges they faced. Dr. Mylod from Press Ganey gives approaches to boost HCAHPS scores.

1/27/09: NAPH Member Core Measure Performance: Trends and Observations

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:10:22 GMT
The University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) presented an in depth analysis of NAPH member performance on publicly reported core measure metrics. The analysis displayed information about NAPH member performance as a group, trends over time and, and comparisons to non-NAPH hospitals and national benchmarks.

1/7/09: Developing a Quality-Focused Board

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:06:09 GMT
This call presented information on how Harborview Medical Center board members use quality and accountability information to track performance. Submitting this type of report to board members can keep board members engaged in the promotion of patient safety and family centered care.

Overview

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:19:30 GMT