Beebe Healthcare Presents Annual Awards to Teams Committed to Optimizing Quality and Safety

Quality and safety are important organizational priorities at Beebe Healthcare, and hospital leaders are committed to recognizing those who are going above and beyond the call of duty in this arena.

Each year, Beebe’s Quality and Safety Committee presents awards to teams that have worked to resolve operational roadblocks through the implementation of new quality and safety initiatives. Teams present metrics, along with sustainability plans to assure their problem-solving approaches can be operationalized.

“Our annual awards program encourages staff to think outside the box and take the lead on developing new approaches that can optimize quality and safety in our patient care environments,” said Marcy Jack, JD, BSN, CPHRM, CPHQ, Chief Quality Officer at Beebe. “We are incredibly proud of the ways our team members have come together to develop, present, and apply impactful ideas and solutions.”

Beebe’s Quality and Safety Committee presented 2023 Quality and Safety Award to two teams in recognition of the following initiatives:

Expansion and Growth of Beebe Healthcare’s Population Health Care Coordination Program

Care coordination for patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) following discharged from the hospital, has been a concentrated priority for Beebe’s Population Health Care Coordination Program. However, it was determined that patients from other service lines – especially those who face barriers to healthcare, and Social Determinants of Health – could also benefit from care coordination following medical visits or hospital discharge.

Systems were developed and operationalized to allow the Population Health Care Coordination Program to expand, and serve patients diagnosed with a broader range of chronic health conditions. Care coordination is managed by multidisciplinary teams (opposed to a primary, single care coordinator), with support from skilled nursing facilities and home health. Information sharing and patient monitoring are key coordination processes that aim to reduce acute care hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and hospital readmissions within a 30-day window.

The team that led this effort and was presented with a 2023 Quality and Safety Award is shown left to right: Back row: Janet Sockriter, Kim Crystal, Holly Rader, and Gail Plummer. Middle row on stairs, Loretta Ostroski and MaryAnn Collins. Front row, Matt Lukasiak, Dr. Andrew Dahlke, Bonnie Hall, Ros Furio, Dr. David Tam, Dr. Paul Peet, and Mary McLoughlin, who chairs the Quality and Safety Committee.

Dietary Supplements to Support Nutritional Deficiencies in the Prevention or Healing of Pressure Injuries
 
Dietary supplements can support nutritional deficiencies as pressure injuries are prevented or treated. A team of clinical experts from Beebe identified a gap in documentation of supplement usage as patients with these conditions were being treated. Increasing knowledge about the importance of the supplements and the corresponding documentation was necessary, with specific goals in mind.

The team developed new protocols to identify and develop standardized processes for documenting supplement use in each patient’s electronic medical record, while also creating streamlined workflows. Additionally, standard operating procedures were developed, along with a reliable measurement system to understand the impact supplements can have on reducing pressure ulcers.

The team also worked to eliminate waste and variation in electronic medical record workflows, while capturing data to allow for more advanced reporting and analytics. These systems support continued education and learning and may lead to future interventions.

The team that led this effort and was presented with a 2023 Quality and Safety Award is shown left to right: Back row, Loretta Ostroski, Dr. David Tam, and Bill Martin. Front row, Dr. Andrew Dahlke, Matt Lukasiak, Bonnie Hall, Lourie Cherundolo, Jan Gibson-Gerrity, Stacey Harris, Dr. Paul Peet, and Mary McLoughlin, who chairs the Quality and Safety Committee.