Optimizing Transitions of Care - Hospital to Community.

Healthc Q

President and CEO of the St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital in Southwestern Ontario. Throughout her career she has held numerous leadership positions, and was appointed CEO in 2016. In 2010, Dr. Whitmore graduated from the Executive Training for Research Application(EXTRA) program of the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation where her team's project work focused on Lean process redesign in healthcare and its role in improving quality of care and patient safety.

Published: December 2017

AI Article Synopsis

  • Discharging patients from the hospital is complicated, and reducing avoidable readmissions can enhance patient quality of life and benefit the healthcare system financially.
  • Historically, St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital faced high readmission rates, with only 41% of discharge summaries sent to primary care within 48 hours and low follow-up appointment attendance compared to provincial averages.
  • By collaborating with primary care providers and utilizing standardized procedures and performance tracking, STEGH has made notable progress in improving its discharge process.

Article Abstract

Discharging patients from the hospital is a complex process, and preventing avoidable readmissions has the potential to improve both the quality of life for patients and the financial sustainability of the healthcare system (Alper et al. 2016). Improving the discharge process is one method to mitigate readmission to the hospital. Historically, St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital (STEGH) consistently experienced higher-than-expected readmission rates, and only 41% of discharge summaries were sent from the hospital to the community primary care within 48 hours. In addition, the overall percentage of patients attending a follow-up appointment with a primary care physician within seven days of discharge from hospital was lower than the provincial average. Through engagement with primary care providers (PCPs) and clinical associates (CAs) and with the use of standard work and monitoring organizational metrics, STEGH has achieved significant improvements.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.12927/hcq.2017.25135DOI Listing

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