The Quality Team at Kentucky REC helps organizations large and small on numerous quality improvement initiatives. We have worked with Kentucky organizations on projects like the example below from the Advisory Board, featuring a hospital that successfully reduced hospital admissions.
How Markham Hospital reduced avoidable admissions by providing care to patients at home
See how Markham Stouffville Hospital, a 350-bed community hospital in Ontario, Canada, created a hospital-to-home program and decreased ED visits for enrolled patients by 80%.
Executive Summary: Some complex patients need medical care but not necessarily an acute care bed. Yet clinicians sometimes admit these patients to acute care because they worry those patients won’t access the care they need in the community.
The Organization: Markham Stouffville Hospital, a 350-bed community hospital in Ontario, Canada, created a hospital-to-home program in 2017.
The Approach: Eligible complex but medically stable patients receive care from an interdisciplinary team at home rather than in a hospital.
The result: Within six months of implementing the hospital-to-home program, Markham saw an 80% decrease in ED visits among enrolled patients. Patients enrolled in the program also reported high satisfaction with services, quality of care, and support from hospital-to-home staff.
APPROACH:
1. Identify target patient population that will benefit most
2. Enroll eligible patients in hospital-to-home program
3. Leverage an interdisciplinary team to deliver care at home
RESULTS:
The hospital-to-home program improved readmission rates at Markham Stouffville and increased patient satisfaction. By receiving care at home, patients also decrease their risk of hospital-acquired infections.
80% Decline in ED visits for enrolled patients over 6 months.
95% Patient satisfaction with program services, quality of care, and support from hospital to home staff.;
You can read details of the study here.
Contact us at Kentucky REC with your questions about quality improvement. Our team of experts is here to help: 859-323-3090.
