The Center for Disease Control estimates that on any given day, 1 in 31 hospital patients has a HAI. (1) Although many HAIs are preventable, their high prevalence leads to harmful effects on patient’s physical, mental, and financial health—and cost billions of dollars in added expenses to the healthcare system.

Health economists at the CDC estimate that the annual costs of HAIs in the United States are between $28 billion- $45 billion per year. (1)

Over 1.3 million Americans are admitted to or reside in nursing homes each year. (1) Like patients in acute care facilities, nursing home residents are at risk for acquiring healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), which can cause discomfort and pain for residents and can have significant adverse consequences.

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) “is a structured method used to analyze serious adverse events” in healthcare. (1) The goal of an RCA is to identify any underlying problems in processes that increase the likelihood of an error with a non-punitive approach. When done effectively, an RCA can:

Clinical peer review is a critical step in evaluating a team member’s performance following a patient safety event or as part of an organization’s credentialing process. (1) Although peer review is a key element of improving patient safety and quality, the quality process model that has prevailed in the healthcare industry over the past 30 years leaves much to be desired in improving quality outcomes. (1)

Sustainable improvements in patient outcomes are achieved when organizations adopt a patient safety culture that is pervasive in all of their interactions with patients and their families. (1) A 5-year Ascension study published in Modern Healthcare found that implementing patient safety programs resulted in (2):

Data lies at the core of healthcare operations – but how that data is used is more important than the data itself.

Why Environment of Care Rounds Matter

For healthcare providers, the physical environment of care has a significant impact on patient wellbeing and the ability of care teams to deliver high quality outcomes. As the healthcare industry has evolved to focus more on patient-centered care, environment of care rounding has become an increasingly useful tool in improving both patient and staff engagement.

As the nation begins a phased reopening in the days ahead, all industries will face the challenge of effectively managing employee health needs. With over 740,000 total cases of COVID-19 nationally, organizations will need processes in place to effectively handle the return to the workforce in a way that keeps employees as safe as possible. (1)

Access Centers: The Need and The Challenges

Healthcare systems are increasingly focused on improving patient access to care in order to attract new patients and retain existing ones. (1)

Access centers act as an entry point to health systems and are critically important in not only improving patient outcomes, but also expanding revenue and improving margins. (1)