Case Studies

Holland Hospital has significantly improved its performance on the pneumonia process-of-care, or core measures, over the last five years. The core measures, developed by the Hospital Quality Alliance, relate to provision of recommended treatment in four clinical areas: heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, and surgical care. Holland Hospital performs in at least the top 20 percent in all four areas, and particularly well in pneumonia and surgical care.  — View Case Study

Parkview Medical Center is one of the top-performing hospitals in the country in the pneumonia process-of-care measures, or "core," measures. Hospital leaders credit the organization's strong performance in pneumonia care to the regular communication and reinforcement provided by quality improvement staff. Concurrent review in particular is relied on as an opportunity to provide real-time education and reminders to providers at the point of care. Those interviewed also emphasize that the hospital leaders are willing to try anything in the name of improving patient care.  — View Case Study

St. Luke's Medical Center has made significant improvements in its performance on the pneumonia care core measures over the last five years. The hospital, which was once achieving as low as 30 percent to 50 percent compliance with the pneumonia care core measures, now performs well above state and national averages. Those interviewed credit the organization's improvement in pneumonia care to the energy and attention to quality improvement provided by the frontline staff, who have embraced the core measures as an opportunity to improve patient care. Concurrent review, ongoing nursing staff education, and streamlined standing order sets also have helped the hospital improve its performance.  — View Case Study

Walla Walla General Hospital is one of the top-performing hospitals in the country on the pneumonia process-of-care measures, or "core," measures. The core measures, developed by the Hospital Quality Alliance and reported to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), relate to the provision of recommended treatment in four clinical areas: heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, and surgical care. Walla Walla ranks in the 99th percentile for the pneumonia care core measures, the 91st percentile for the heart failure core measures, and the 97th percentile for the surgical care core measures. The hospital also performs very well on the heart attack core measures, but treats too small a population to reliably tell how well it is doing, according to CMS guidelines. Those interviewed credit the hospital's high performance on the pneumonia care core measures to education and reinforcement, as well as improvements to care processes, reminders, and other supports created to give staff the tools they need to succeed.  — View Case Study

Western Baptist Hospital is one of the top-performing hospitals in the country in the pneumonia care process-of-care, or "core" measures. Performance improvement teams, led by physician champions, have helped the hospital achieve its success in pneumonia care. The hospital also builds systematic process improvements into staff routines to facilitate compliance with the core measures and standardize care.  — View Case Study