Intermountain Healthcare’s https://intermountainphysician.org innovative data driven models help to improve health outcomes and reduce overall costs according to an article appearing in the “Intermountain Med Staff News” for September 2015.
Several Data-Driven Models are mentioned such as the “Targeting Zero Initiative” featuring webinars and practical tools as a guide. Intermountain reports that the data driven model has reduced surgical site infection rates by over 50 percent, resulting 33 fewer serious infections at the Intermountain Medical Center per year and saves $650,000 per year.
Another data-driven care process model “Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Program” works to standardize bowel surgery and as a result, the cost of the surgery has dropped from $18,000 to $12,000 per patient.
Patients taking part in the “Activity Tracker Protocol” enables patients using pedometer watches to measure and remind them to walk after surgery so that they will spend less time in the hospital. Using trackers has resulted in a 50 percent reduction in readmission rates.
Also, data-driven physician-specific report cards are available on outcomes and costs for the “Blood Utilization Program” has led to a 38 percent reduction in the number of patients who get transfusions in the Intermountain system. As a result, there was $7.5 million less in charges to patients for blood products over 18 months.
The data from the “Tonsillectomy Study” looked at the cost and outcomes of five different ways to do outpatient tonsillectomies on 20,000 children with the information shared with Intermountain ENT surgeons to enable them to see how they compare to their peers.
Intermountain invented the “ProComp” surgical data system that allows surgeons and operating room staff to see the true cost of everything that is done to care for patients. The surgeons and surgical teams have this information in the operating room at the point of healthcare delivery.
Go to https://intermountainphysician.org/medstaffnews/Pages/home.aspx to view the Intermountain Med Staff News for September 2015.