The Spotlight on Improvement series highlights real stories of health care quality improvement. These case studies can be used to improve health care programs and spark new collaborations.
Pacific Medical Center: Successful population management by putting patients and quality first
August 2014: Pacific Medical Center, Seattle, Wash.How do you successfully manage the health of a population? Pacific Medical Center did so by creating a strong patient and service-focused team environment. They built a robust quality infrastructure that uses patient registries and reporting to facilitate proactive care, developed improvement initiatives through patient care committees and focused on continuous improvement through internal and external benchmarking. Their hard work and focus on continuous quality improvement is clearly seen in their above average quality scores in the Community Checkup.
Improving price transparency: The Everett Clinic takes first step toward price transparency
June 2014: The Everett Clinic, Everett, Wash.Learn about The Everett Clinic’s precedent-setting decision to begin posting self-pay prices on their website, beginning with six common imaging services. This action was met with positive attention from the media, health care professionals, patients and community members across the state.
Download the June 2014 Spotlight on Improvement (775 KB PDF) >>
Improving Patient Experience: How UW Neighborhood Clinics Improved Their Patients’ Experience of Care
Learn how UW Neighborhood Clinics dramatically improved the experience of their patients through a thoughtful, comprehensive strategy that puts patients first. In the Alliance’s 2012 Your Voice Matters report, UWNC had mixed results; compared to the newly released 2014 report, UWNC is one of only five medical groups who received all-above-regional scores.
Download the May 2014 Spotlight on Improvement (972 KB PDF) >>
Ellensburg Has Engaged Patients to Improve Their Health through Shared Medical Appointments
April 2014: Family Health Care, Ellensburg, Wash.Shared medical appointments are a cost-effective way to manage chronic conditions. Read how a small, independent practice in central Washington piloted a shared medical appointment program resulting in improved health outcomes and increased patient satisfaction.
Download the April 2014 Spotlight on Improvement (775 KB PDF) >>
Group Health improved patient care and reduced costs by lowering unnecessary pap-screening tests
March 2014: Group Health Cooperative, Seattle, Wash.Group Health used the Choosing Wisely campaign as a way to encourage provider and patient conversations on the necessity and safety of tests, treatments and procedures and to avoid unnecessary or potentially harmful care. They paired this with an electronic medical record trigger tool to help reduce unnecessary testing and reduce wasteful spending.
Download the March 2014 Spotlight on Improvement (718 KB PDF) >>
Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital Chronic Disease Self-Management Program
December 2013: Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, Yakima County, Wash.In 2008, Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital began offering educational programs for community members who have chronic diseases, substantially reducing overall outpatient and emergency department in just one year.
PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center: Improving Care through Glycemic Management
November 2013: PeaceHealth Southwest Medical CenterIn 2006, PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center initiated an internal glycemic control task force to review protocol and found that blood glucose targets were not regularly met in cardiac patients. The group also found that the special needs of patients with diabetes were not commonly met before discharge and there was little continuity of care once patients transitioned from the hospital back into the community.
Providence Sacred Heart: Cardiac Level 1 Program
October 2013: Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children’s Hospital, Spokane, Wash.Providence Sacred Heart collaborated with network of more than 20 hospitals in eastern Washington and northern Idaho to increase survival rates for cardiac arrest. They implemented continuous improvement processes to improve response times and standardize treatment protocols.
Download the October 2013 Spotlight on Improvement (675 KB PDF) >>
King County Emergency Medical Services: Using Data to guide Improvement Efforts
September 2013: King County Emergency Medical Services, King County, Wash.By committing to data collection and continuous improvement, King County Emergency Medical Services increased cardiac survival rate to 60 percent—the highest not only in the United States, but in the world.
Download the September 2013 Spotlight on Improvement (806 KB PDF) >>
Collaborating to Improve Care Transitions in Whatcom County
July 2013: Whatcom Alliance for Health Advancement (WAHA), the Northwest Regional Council (NWRC) and PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical CenterThe Improving Care Transitions (IMPACT) program in Whatcom County is helping patients actively manage their health and reduce preventable hospital readmissions by working with them both during and after a hospital stay.