Hospital Officials Meet w/Legislators on Improvement Initiatives

(FROM LEFT, MELISSA CATES, DIRECTOR OF QUALITY, AND ALLISON SATTERTHWAITE, MANAGER OF INFECTION PREVENTION, BOTH REPRESENTING HSHS ST. JOSEPH'S HOSPITAL IN HIGHLAND AND HSHS HOLY FAMILY HOSPITAL IN GREENVILLE, AND ROB RUNDE, DIRECTOR OF PHARMACY AT HSHS ST. ANTHONY'S MEMORIAL HOSPITAL IN EFFINGHAM, WITH 107TH DISTRICT ST. REP. JOHN CAVALETTO)

Leaders from HSHS Southern Illinois Division hospitals met with legislators in the Illinois State Capitol Thursday to share quality improvement initiatives they have undertaken to enhance and elevate patient quality in their hospitals. The HSHS Southern Illinois Division is comprised of HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, O’Fallon; HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital, Effingham; HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital, Breese; HSHS Holy Family Hospital, Greenville; and HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital, Highland.

A number of the hospitals from the HSHS Southern Illinois Division displayed information about some of their quality improvement initiatives and shared with legislators how these initiatives have benefited patients, families and communities while reducing health care costs:

• Patient Safety Initiatives: HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital shared their initiative to optimize antimicrobial use and awareness to help limit the overuse of antibiotics.  Additionally, HSHS Holy Family Hospital shared how they helped improve medication administration safety through various interventions.
• Infection Prevention:HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland shared their initiative to improve Clostridium difficile infection rates.

The HSHS Southern Illinois Division leaders were among the 92 hospitals and health system leaders from across Illinois who discussed with legislators their innovative, practical and collaborative approaches to improve care during the Illinois Health and Hospital Association’s (IHA) Quality Advocacy Showcase.

Quality Initiatives Impact

The HSHS Southern Illinois Division hospitals showcased the positive impact of their individual quality initiatives:

• HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital, Effingham:  To optimize antimicrobial use and awareness, a multidisciplinary committee collaborated to provide oversight and guidance on the proper use of antimicrobial medications through a Pharmacy-driven antibiotic timeout process, physician antibiotic management audits, and a review of broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy days and Clostridium difficile cases, along other steps.
• HSHS Holy Family Hospital, Greenville: At Holy Family Hospital, a multidisciplinary team implemented several interventions which included a medication administration checklist, additional education for all staff administering medications, structured follow-ups for medication variances, and placing “Do Not Disturb” mats and signs for Pyxis machines and computers on wheels, as well as other interventions.
• HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital, Highland: The hospital improved their Clostridium difficile infection rates through the use of a nurse-driven SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) protocol, which reduced C. difficile testing and rates by over 50 percent.  This was accomplished by increasing critical thinking, providing nurse autonomy, and improving communication with providers.

These quality initiatives have positively affected patients, their families and our communities by:

• Ensuring safe and accurate medication administration.
• Decreasing monitoring, testing and length of stay.
• Improving patient safety.
• Enhancing quality of care.
• Increasing patient satisfaction.
• Preventing unnecessary costs.

IHA’s Quality Advocacy Showcase, in its third year, is designed to visually demonstrate the work of physicians, nurses, quality improvement leaders and hospital administrators to develop and implement solutions to improve care. IHA produced one 30-by-42-inch poster per hospital or health system project for the event.

“This event provides a timely reminder of the life-saving work Illinois hospitals do daily and the critical role state government plays in ensuring that hospitals have the resources to continue to provide high-quality care to all Illinoisans,” said IHA President and CEO A.J. Wilhelmi.

The HSHS Southern Illinois Division is comprised of HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, O’Fallon; HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital, Effingham; HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital, Breese; HSHS Holy Family Hospital, Greenville; and HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital, Highland.