Through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Hospital Engagement Network (HEN) 2.0 Partnership for Patients (PfP) initiative, providers across the country have been working together to achieve the goals set by the PfP to reduce preventable readmissions by 20 percent and preventable hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) by 40 percent from October 2015 through September 2016.
Based on the time period analyzed by the AHA/HRET HEN and CMS, 38 of the participating South Dakota hospitals prevented 81 patient harms, with an associated cost savings of more than $965,162.
Substantial patient harm reductions in several key areas were achieved including:
- 64 falls with injury prevented
- 36 surgical site infections prevented
- 40 adverse drug events prevented, inclusive of 20 due to opioids
- 4 central line-associated bloodstream infections
- 21 Clostridium difficile infections
- 14 readmissions prevented
In aggregate, hospitals saw the greatest reductions in patient falls (43.3 percent), surgical site infections (73.4 percent), early elective deliveries (100 percent) and Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infections (17.2 percent). One-hundred-percent of participating hospitals maintained a zero baseline and met or exceeded their reduction goals for one or more of the quality measures. In addition, many hospitals are well on their way to meeting the goal for several other preventable hospital-acquired conditions (HACs), such as central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSI), pressure ulcers, adverse drug events and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI).
The PfP initiative works at the hospital, state, regional and national levels to identify solutions to reduce HACs and readmissions, and spread best practices and resources to other health care providers. Participants collaborate to:
- Transparently share progress on a set of uniform measures on a regular basis
- Share best practices and successful innovations
- Commit to participate in data collection, educational initiatives as well as site visits
With a focus on sustainability, the South Dakota Association of Health Care Organizations (SDAHO) will continue its collaboration with the South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care, the South Dakota Office of Rural Health, the South Dakota Department of Health and other state/federal agencies and health organizations to aid in the continued delivery of best practices, evidenced-based guidelines, protocols, techniques and strategies to reduce preventable harm to patients.
