Frontiers of Health Services Management - Summer 2014 - (Page 24)

the University HealthSystem consortium's rankings from seventy-fourth to third; and, most recently, being selected for the US News & World Report Honor roll of Best Hospitals for 2013-2014. these awards, as well as the achievement of Beacon status for all of UHcMc's intensive care units, solidified in the minds of many providers the fact that the procedures and processes put in place, while sometimes tedious and time consuming, would lead not only to awards but also to good patient outcomes Central to achieving the and increased reimbursement. While these awards Triple Aim is improving were based primarily on each patient's care inpatient quality and safety, experience; this requires they helped create an atmosphere of pride and respect patients to understand for UH's culture of quality their own medical needs, and safety. the resources at their disposal, and the desire of the health system to provide meaningful and effective care. Engaging Stakeholders Through the Quality Program Despite the advantages provided by the success of our inpatient quality program, the barriers to improving ambulatory quality and population health are significant (exhibit 1). However, the employee aco, in partnership with the Quality institute, seeks to meet specific ambulatory quality challenges by (1) establishing an ambulatory data infrastructure by working with physicians, (2) leveraging Exhibit 1 * * * * * the data to increase the buy-in of the clinicians, and (3) creating platforms on which to engage all providers. none of these steps is easy, but with clear explanations of our efforts and the buy-in prompted by belief in leadership, they are achievable. far from an afterthought in the acos, as discussed at greater length later, UH has engaged physicians in defining changes to how they deliver care to patients. it is also important to note that ambulatory programs to drive enhanced population health will fail without active patient engagement. While such engagement has been an important part of our inpatient success, it is far more important in the ambulatory environment, where clinicians have less direct control. Here, they depend on patients to take medications, to keep appointments, and to know when to call for advice, and engaging those outpatients is key to ensuring success. central to achieving the triple aim is improving each patient's care experience; this requires patients to understand their own medical needs, the resources at their disposal, and the desire of the health system to provide meaningful and effective care. The Role of ACO Governance With the framework of our health system established and the decision in place to form an aco as the platform for UH's employee health plan, we recognized a need to create a physician/provider network Barriers to Improving Ambulatory Quality and Population Health Outpatient interactions are fleeting and often months apart. Outcomes are often difficult to determine. The large outpatient volume makes 100% screening difficult. There is little structure with which to deal with problems and take action. Patient compliance and home environments are difficult to control. 2 4 * f ro ntier s o f h ea lt h s e rvic e s m a na g e me nt 30 :4

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Frontiers of Health Services Management - Summer 2014

Table of Contents

Frontiers of Health Services Management - Summer 2014