Healthcare Update

In This Issue

• Focus on Health IT
• Guest Essay: H. Doug Sears details Bon Secours Health System’s overall performance improvement approach.
• This Issue’s Announcements: Learn about a new blended lean healthcare course from ASQ and the results of a survey that describes what U.S. healthcare quality improvement experts think could be done to help eliminate waste.
• Quality News: Read current news stories about quality tools and trends in the healthcare field, as well as issues facing the healthcare industry.

Focus On…

HEALTH IT

ASQ Submits Comments on Federal Healthcare IT Proposal
In June, ASQ and ASQ’s Healthcare Division sent a letter to the National Coordinator for Health IT that included suggestions and comments about the establishment of a national network of regional health IT extension centers that would assist healthcare providers in their efforts to adopt new information technologies. Some points outlined included:

• Don’t throw money into IT in healthcare organizations that aren’t properly prepared to use it fully.
• Take advantage of proven process improvement tools and quality methods that make implementation go smoother and quicker.

Read more about this effort.

Preparing for Health IT—Laying the Foundation With Quality and Process Improvement: A Panel Discussion Produced by ASQ for the 21st Century
Health Care Caucus
On Sept. 15, ASQ and the House 21st Century Healthcare Caucus co-hosted a forum in Washington, D.C. The forum featured the value of process improvement and the change management tools that are contained in the ASQ body of knowledge. It also showcased the work of ASQ members in reducing waste and improving the quality of healthcare in real-world settings. More

Win for ASQ’s Advocacy Efforts—National Health IT Coordinator Seeks Out ASQ Advice
On Nov. 3, ASQ representatives met in Washington, D.C., with the individuals responsible for implementing major change in the nation’s health IT systems. The outcome was a request for ASQ to assist in this effort. The meeting was held with David Blumenthal, national coordinator for health IT, senior members of his staff and his advisors to explore areas where ASQ can collaborate in this important work. More

Making Meaningful Use "Meaningful"
In this Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare article, Barry P. Chaiken, M.D., writes about how the current administration expects health IT to play an important role in reducing healthcare costs while improving quality, safety and access—a high priority of the president. More

Quality Forum Releases Health IT Data Framework
The National Quality Forum has released the quality data set (QDS), a common technological framework to assist in defining clinical data used in measuring performance and evaluating improvement in patients’ quality of care. The QDS framework will provide a standardized set of data that should be captured in patients’ electronic health records and is applicable to all care settings a patient is likely to use in his or her lifetime. More

Healthcare IT News
This website provides useful information about healthcare IT, including news articles, newsletters and a blog, among other resources. More

Featured Book

Guest Essay

Synergistic Cultural Transformation: Performance Improvement and Implementation of a Systemwide Clinical Information System

This article, authored by H. Douglas Sears, details Bon Secours Health System’s overall performance improvement approach, called enhancing performance excellence. This approach encompasses the learning and methods—such as design for Six Sigma and an integrated lean Six Sigma philosophy—the health system has been using for years. More

Note: This article comes from "Quality in Healthcare," an ASQ healthcare resource guide.

Guest Essay is an ongoing Healthcare Update feature in which authors working in the healthcare field explore the role quality tools and methods play in delivering better care and driving down costs. 

If you would like to submit a Guest Essay for consideration, send an e-mail to Healthcare Update editor Nicole Adrian.

This Issue’s Announcements

Payment Problems, Malpractice Suits Top Concerns of Quality Pros ASQ Healthcare Experts Share Reform Advice

While Congress debates the best options for reform, a new poll of U.S. healthcare quality improvement experts shows that solving payment problems and restructuring malpractice suits/tort reform top the list of actions that would help eliminate waste. Recent studies estimate the U.S. healthcare system wastes $600 to $800 billion annually.

The online poll was conducted with the help of 120 healthcare quality professionals who are ASQ members. More

Leading Lean Teams in Healthcare

This new blended learning course is scheduled Feb. 2 to April 13, with the activity-based classroom session running Feb. 16–18. This course trains participants on lean tools and demonstrates how to apply them to improve workflow. Participants will also learn to lead teams through an actual lean project of their choice. Learn more about the training.

New RCA Book Now Available

Root Cause Analysis and Improvement in the Healthcare Sector: A Step-by-Step Guide
by Bjørn Andersen, Tom Fagerhaug and Marti Beltz helps facilitate the process of a root cause analysis. The book includes:

• A wide range of real-world examples.
• A workbook-style format.
• Templates, both print and electronic.

Learn more about the book. 

Upcoming Certification Exams

Numerous ASQ certification exams with a Jan. 15 sign up deadline are quickly approaching. These exams include:

• Biomedical auditor
• HACCP auditor
• Manager of quality/organizational excellence
• Quality inspector
• Quality technician
• Reliability engineer
• Six Sigma Black Belt
• Six Sigma Green Belt

Joint Healthcare Conference Set for February

ASQ and the Society for Health Systems will hold a joint conference Feb. 25-28 in Atlanta. The conference, titled "Building Better Health Care Systems," will focus on healthcare quality and process improvement. Attendees will experience high-quality education sessions and workshops, and will have an opportunity to network with well-respected and knowledgeable process and quality improvement experts from throughout the United States. Learn more.

Quality News

A Click Away from 10,000 Patients

According to this Quality News Today article, the move toward electronic health records in Ontario has been a bit slow. While there are benefits, the province’s health system has been woefully slow to adopt new technology, the Ontario Health Quality Council said earlier this year. About 25% of the province’s family physicians use electronic medical records, compared with 50% in Alberta and 98% in the Netherlands. More

Biden Praises Baldrige Winner for Patient Care

According to this Quality News Today article, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden attended a recent ceremony honoring the recipients of the 2008 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The award is given annually by the federal government to organizations that demonstrate extraordinary standards of quality and performance. Colorado’s Poudre Valley Health System was one of those recipients. More