Recently I heard a CEO of a large high-performing health system say something that moved me deeply. In his address to all leaders in his organization, he said that even if the system was in the 99.9^th percentile for patient safety, 25 patients would die in their organization this year due to errors. He said that would be 25 patients too many and reminded leaders that they were each responsible for ensuring there was a safe environment. Read Full Article

Improve Clinical Outcomes with Hourly Rounding^SM

What if your nurses could save 82 hours each Week¹ responding to call lights and deliver better clinical outcomes for patients? Hourly Rounding^SM is a new best practice that reduces patient falls and skin breakdowns while improving patient satisfaction. The rounding protocol also drives more nursing care to the bedside, so nurses can be proactive instead of reactive with respect to work flow. Read Full Article

That's the most important question hospitals can ask when they are using individualized patient care (IPC). By tracking performance on what’s most important to a patient throughout the patient’s hospital stay, hospitals ensure better clinical outcomes and exceed patient expectations. In fact, one hospital saw a 70% jump in patients' rating of "effectiveness of pain management" on its patient satisfaction survey after implementing IPC. Another experienced a 40% jump in patients' overall rating of care and a 26% increase in "likeliness to recommend." Read Full Article

When physicians understand that adjusting their behaviors results in better patient outcomes, they are willing and motivated to change. Here, three of Studer Group’s medical directors—Stephen Beeson, MD; Jay Kaplan, MD; and Thom Mayer, MD—share tips and lessons learned. Read Full Article

Practicing Excellence: 5 Reasons to Engage Physicians

"An organization that creates a culture of excellence becomes a living, breathing advertisement for itself from the testimony of every patient who walks through the doors," says Stephen Beeson, MD, author of Practicing Excellence: A Physician’s Manual to Exceptional Health Care. "Organizations that rise to the top are often led by engaged physicians who lead by example." Read Full Article

An inpatient in an average hospital for 72 hours will be touched by 30 people. Whether or not the patient achieves a quality outcome depends on how well caregiver teams communicate precise, accurate and timely information. Read Full Article