Driving Quality in Hospitals' Intensivist ICU Programs Hot Topic at Critical Care Congress
Health care experts to introduce ICU performance measurement system
at mid-February event Tampa, FL (PRWEB) February 14, 2007 -- As a broader range of diagnostic and treatment options for critically ill patients becomes available, caring for them becomes more complex and expensive. To better manage their critical patients' care, many hospitals are implementing "intensivist" programs in their ICUs, a more aggressive treatment approach than current critical care. Intensivists are critical care specialists who provide continuous assessments of ICU patients' conditions in order to make certain that they receive the right care at the right time. But hospital executives are leery about assuming the expense of such programs and are asking two important questions:
1. How will they know that their patients are receiving safe, quality care?
2. How will they know they are getting value for the subsidy for which they are paying? This uncertainty can make committing resources to an intensivist program a difficult decision, even though pressure to implement is increasing. To help hospital administrators better define the impact of the intensivist model, Christopher Saunders, RN, MHSA, and Dr. John Hoyt, FACCM, will present a system for measuring the performance of ICU care delivery models at the Society for Critical Care Medicine Congress in Orlando, Florida, on February 17th. Benchmarking Intensivist Models in the ICU Setting demonstrates how internist program effectiveness can be accurately assessed by comparing key indicators using APACHE IIB and a Microsoft® Access Database. Mr. Saunders, senior healthcare consultant with USC Consulting Group, says, "This may sound simple, but the reality is that such key indicators as average time of mechanical ventilation, return to ICU in less than 24 hours of transfer, central line infections, and ventilator associated pneumonia are not readily accessible to either caregivers or administrators who need it to best treat their critically ill patients. In some 90% of hospitals, this information is currently collected manually. We plan to show how our PHLo™ technology*, which leverages Microsoft platforms, provides the confidence and stability needed to get maximum value for the patient, physicians, and the hospital. In the end, this will result in more timely care and a decrease in adverse outcomes." - PHLo: Proactive Healthcare Logistics
About the Society of Critical Care Medicine
The Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) is the only professional organization devoted exclusively to the advancement of multi-professional critical care medicine through excellence in patient care, education, research, and advocacy.
SCCM has a worldwide membership of more than 13,000 from a diverse group of highly trained professionals including intensivists, critical care nurses, critical care pharmacists/pharmacologists, respiratory therapists, technicians and social workers. The Society was created in 1970 to educate medical professionals and the community about the need for intensivists and critical care practitioners. The organization is headquartered in Des Plaines, IL.About Dr. John Hoyt
John W. Hoyt, MD, is a Fellow of the American College of Critical Care Medicine and the American College of Chest Physicians. He is also a diplomat, American Board of Anesthesiology and is board certified in special qualifications in critical care.
During the past 30 years, Dr. Hoyt has initiated critical care programs in numerous hospitals, among them Naval Regional Medical Center, Portsmouth, VA; surgical ICU at the University of Virginia; St. Francis Hospital, Forbes Regional Hospital, and Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh; and the Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen, Texas.
He is a past president of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and a clinical expert in IPS for The Leapfrog Group. About Christopher Saunders, RN, MHSA
Chris Saunders is a senior healthcare consultant with USC Consulting Group, LLC. He has been providing clinical leadership for the firm's healthcare practice since 1997. He also serves as primary nurse care coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He has 19 years of experience in the critical care nursing, intermediate care, surgical step-down and liver transplant settings. During his tenure with USCCG, he has worked with such clients as HCA, St. David's Healthcare, South West Texas Methodist healthcare System, and the university of Pittsburgh medical Center. Mr. Saunders holds a BSN from Waynesburg College and an MHSA from the University of St. Francis. His professional credentials include Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN), Certified Clinical Transplant Nurse (CCTN), Operational Leaders Certification from Development Dimensions International, and graduation from the Perfecting patient Care University, the Toyota Production Model in the healthcare setting. He is a member of the Nurse Navigator Fellowship, Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative and is a member of the Advocacy Committee for the Society of Critical Care Medicine. About USC Consulting Group
USC Consulting Group, LLC (www.usccg.com) is an independent management consulting firm headquartered in Tampa, FL, with offices in Chicago, Montreal and Toronto. USCCG helps hospitals adapt as the hospital environment changes by providing the basis for achieving and sustaining new levels of patient safety and satisfaction. Using a unique and innovative approach, the firm's PHLo™ (Proactive Healthcare Logistics system) delivers an enduring platform for higher performance. More than a one-time event, the methodology comports with the realities of health care challenges, today and tomorrow.
To read more about why hospitals struggle to achieve the superior quality and the operational effectiveness demanded today and how they can overcome these difficulties, visit USCCG's blog at http://phlo.typepad.com. ###
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