Newswise — The Hospital Care Collaborative (HCC), an alliance of six leading professional societies with a shared vision of improving hospital-based patient care, recently took initial steps toward identifying best practices in quality improvement programs with presentations from seven of the most effective programs in the country.
This summer, HCC member organizations, including the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), selected seven hospital team leaders from hundreds of submissions to present their hospital-based quality improvement programs, each employing teams of multiple health professionals.
The teams shared information about their programs to CEOs, presidents and other leaders from HCC member organizations via remote connection at a special forum in August. Represented were:
• Forsyth Medical Center, Winston-Salem, N.C., Rapid Response Team• Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Pharmacist-Directed Anticoagulation Service• Maury Regional Medical Center, Columbia, Tenn., Progressive Upright Mobility Project• Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, INTERACT–INTERdisciplinary Approaches to Communication and Teamwork• Sinai-Grace Hospital at Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, The MI STA*AR Initiative• University of Rochester (N.Y.) Medical Center, Emergency Pharmacist Team• Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Optimizing Care Transitions Team
Each program’s goals varied but shared the common value of driving quality care at their respective healthcare institutions. Each team reflected the interdisciplinary philosophy of the collaborative, which includes case management, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, respiratory care and social work. The presentations represent the first step toward publicizing the best practices of high-performing teams across the country, says Justine Medina, RN, MS, AACN’s director, professional practice and programs. She underscores the importance of administration support to program efforts.
“The most successful programs earned the support of senior hospital executives early on, because program leaders made their case based on the shared values of teamwork, accountability and value,” Medina explains.
HCC’s members are now considering holding a conference in 2011 to bring high-performing hospital teams together so they can share best practices and experiences in team leadership.
About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: Founded in 1969 and based in Aliso Viejo, Calif., the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world. AACN joins together the interests of more than 500,000 acute and critical care nurses and claims more than 230 chapters worldwide. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. To learn more about AACN, visit www.aacn.org, connect with the organization on Facebook at www.facebook.com/aacnface or follow AACN on Twitter at www.twitter.com/aacnme.
About Hospital Care Collaborative: Composed of six leading healthcare organizations dedicated to hospital care improvement, the Hospital Care Collaborative (HCC) strives to learn about and share best practices with hospitals. HCC member organizations include the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, American Association of Respiratory Care, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Case Management Society of America, Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care and Society of Hospital Medicine.
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