Indiana's Community Hospital System cuts $22M in costs after grant funds patient safety program
Health system saves $11 million from 1,254 unnecessary readmissions and $2 million saved through the prevention of 110 venous thromboembolisms.
Photo of Bluffton Regional Medical Center from blufftonregional.com.
Indiana hospitals saved more than $22 million over three years by amping up efforts to prevent patient harm, according to a new report published by the Community Hospital System of Indiana.
Close to half of the savings came from the prevention of 1,254 hospital readmissions, according to the report by the Health Research & Educational Trust, an affiliate of the American Hospital Association.
The 116 participating hospitals saved $22.3 million by preventing 4,690 incidents of patient harm. This included $11 million saved from 1,254 unnecessary readmissions and $2 million saved through the prevention of 110 venous thromboembolisms, a blood clot that is a leading cause of complications and preventable hospital deaths.
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Starting in 2012, participating hospitals began a three-year campaign to decrease hospital-acquired conditions by 40 percent and hospital readmissions by 20 percent.
Staff, aided by seven additional members paid by a grant, worked to improve care in 11 core patient safety areas, such as early elective deliveries and pressure ulcers.
The findings determined early elective deliveries were decreased by 76 percent.
The grant for the Partnership for Patients program came from funding in the Affordable Care Act. The national effort aligns the goals of providers, the President and Congress to improve healthcare quality and reduce cost.
Staff participated in educational meetings and training and provided data tracking and reporting that increased awareness and monitoring.
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