On this episode, we conclude our series on mortality by examining palliative care, home care and hospice care. These are underused yet better and more beneficial for end-of-life situations than traditional inpatient approaches.

Guest speaker:

Steve Meurer, PhD, MBA, MHS

Executive Principal

Data Science and Member Insights

Vizient

Moderator:

Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM

Principal

Clinical Operations and Quality

Vizient

Show Notes:

[00:28] Risk adjusted mortality: examining the most relevant hospice care approaches

[01:35] Effective palliative care

[01:58] Bullish on palliative care: broadening beyond the dying population

[03:24] Leveraging home care and hospice approaches

[05:02] Challenge in caring for a dying patient

[06:06] Facing mortality: getting the patient in the right place at the right time

[08:14] Mortality review: not finding fault but improving performance

[09:35] Example from mortality review: care for multiple myeloma patients

Links | Resources:

To contact Modern Practice: modernpracticepodcast@vizientinc.com

Steve Meurer’s contact email: steve.meurer@vizientinc.com

To contact Tom regarding mortality reduction: tomas.villanueva@vizientinc.com

Mortality Measures Hospital-Specific Reports (CMS) Click here

Selected Best Practices and Suggestions for Improvement – Mortality (AHRQ) Click here

Variation in US Hospital Mortality Rates for Patients Admitted With COVID-19 During the First 6 Months of the Pandemic (JAMA Internal Medicine) Click here

Subscribe Today!

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Android

Google Podcasts

Stitcher

RSS Feed

Read Full Post »

Reducing hospital mortality is crucial to improve care and meet stringent reporting and reimbursement requirements. Improvements involve a complex effort involving multiple areas in the organization. On this episode, we continue our series on mortality by focusing on transfer centers and admissions as factors in reducing mortality.

Guest speaker:

Steve Meurer, PhD, MBA, MHS

Executive Principal

Data Science and Member Insights

Vizient

Moderator:

Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM

Principal

Clinical Operations and Quality

Vizient

Show Notes:

[00:35] Risk adjusted mortality: focusing on one factor can make a difference

[02:13] Transferring patients

[02:40] Example: using telehealth instead of transfers for stroke patients

[03:16] Example: developing a co-management program

[04:08] Example: mini-ICU in the ER

[04:39] Example: in-hospital mortality for sepsis patients

[05:33] Supportive care for the dying patient

Links | Resources:

To contact Modern Practice: modernpracticepodcast@vizientinc.com

Steve Meurer’s contact email: steve.meurer@vizientinc.com

To contact Tom regarding mortality reduction: tomas.villanueva@vizientinc.com

Mortality Measures Hospital-Specific Reports (CMS) Click here

Selected Best Practices and Suggestions for Improvement – Mortality (AHRQ) Click here

Variation in US Hospital Mortality Rates for Patients Admitted With COVID-19 During the First 6 Months of the Pandemic (JAMA Internal Medicine) Click here

Subscribe Today!

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Android

Google Podcasts

Stitcher

RSS Feed

Read Full Post »

“The longer you stay in the hospital, the higher chance that you have of dying in that hospital.” So says our guest in this crucial series on reducing hospital mortality. Mortality, always a leading quality indicator, is under increasing public scrutiny, with mounting pressure on health care organizations to reduce it. In this three-part series, we will discuss the multiple factors that affect hospital mortality and come into play when trying to lower mortality rates.

Guest speaker:

Steve Meurer, PhD, MBA, MHS

Executive Principal

Data Science and Member Insights

Vizient

Moderator:

Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM

Principal

Clinical Operations and Quality

Vizient

Show Notes:

[01:43] Tracking a quality indicator

[03:04] Improvement is multifactorial

[03:49] The longer the stay, the higher the chance of mortality

[04:38] Effective mortality review

[05:58] Effective clinical documentation

Links | Resources:

To contact Modern Practice: modernpracticepodcast@vizientinc.com

Steve Meurer’s contact email: steve.meurer@vizientinc.com

To contact Tom regarding mortality reduction: tomas.villanueva@vizientinc.com

Mortality Measures Hospital-Specific Reports (CMS) Click here

Selected Best Practices and Suggestions for Improvement – Mortality (AHRQ) Click here

Variation in US Hospital Mortality Rates for Patients Admitted With COVID-19 During the First 6 Months of the Pandemic (JAMA Internal Medicine) Click here

Subscribe Today!

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Android

Google Podcasts

Stitcher

RSS Feed

Read Full Post »

In this final episode of our series on the blood supply, our discussion goes beyond managing red blood cells to the management of every blood component. We examine hospital practices for conserving blood and using alternatives to transfusion.

Guest speaker:

Akiva Faerber

Senior Principal

Vizient

Moderator:

Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM

Principal

Clinical Operations and Quality

Vizient

Show Notes:

[00:22] Extending management beyond red blood cells

[00:52] Platelets

[03:23] Other products and technologies for blood management

[04:21] More on platelets, other products/technologies and the need for platelet donors

[07:26] Vizient recommendations concerning platelets

[09:41] Avoiding transfusions

Links | Resources:

To contact Modern Practice: modernpracticepodcast@vizientinc.com

Akiva Faerber’s contact email: akiva.faerber@vizientinc.com

Conservation of Blood Products (The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center) Click here

Severe Blood Shortage (American Red Cross web page) Click here

Subscribe Today!

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Android

Google Podcasts

Stitcher

RSS Feed

Read Full Post »

Because of the critical shortage of the blood supply across the nation, health care organizations are having to work with less. On this episode, part two of a three-part series, we discuss reducing the number of transfusions and other strategies that will help you manage a more limited blood supply.

Guest speaker:

Akiva Faerber

Senior Principal

Vizient

Moderator:

Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM

Principal

Clinical Operations and Quality

Vizient

Show Notes:

[00:32] Not focusing on eight as the magical number

[01:37] Managing red blood cells (RBCs)

[03:53] “Why two? Why not one? Why one? Why not none?”

[05:11] Autologous transfusion

[07:26] RBC-stimulating drugs

[09:05] Financial issues

[09:34] Old blood vs new blood

Links | Resources:

To contact Modern Practice: modernpracticepodcast@vizientinc.com

Akiva Faerber’s contact email: akiva.faerber@vizientinc.com

Conservation of Blood Products (The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center) Click here

Severe Blood Shortage (American Red Cross web page) Click here

Subscribe Today!

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Android

Google Podcasts

Stitcher

RSS Feed

Read Full Post »