 |
|
|
VPQ News & ViewsVermont a Leader in Infection Prevention (5/27/2010)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) released its first State-Specific Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Summary Data Report. The report presents central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) data using the standardized infection ratio (SIR). The SIR is a summary metric describing, in this case, the CLABSI experience at a state and national level.
The NHSN report looked at CLABSI data from January – June 2009. During that time, Vermont hospitals reported CLABSI rates that were among the lowest of the seventeen states included in the report. Vermont’s SIR ratio for reporting period was 0.27 (95% CI 0.07 – 0.71), indicating that Vermont experienced 73 percent fewer infections than predicted.
An estimated 248,000 bloodstream infections occur in U.S. hospitals each year[1]. Healthcare-associated infections are a significant burden in the United States, associated with approximately 99,000 deaths and up to $30 billion each year.
For more information on infection prevention activities in Vermont, click here.
[1] Klevens RM, Edward JR, et al. Estimating health care-associated infections and deaths in U.S. hospitals, 2002. Public Health Reports 2007;122:160-166
Rutland Regional Medical Center 4/22/2010
The Vermont Program for Quality in Health Care (VPQHC) would like to congratulates Rutland Regional Medical Center on receiving Magnet status from the American Nurses Credentialing Center and also on being awarded the Governor's Award for Performance Excellence. See article at link below:
Rutland Herald Article
Vermont Ranks #1 in 2009 Commonwealth Fund Report
Commonwealth Fund Vermont State Score Card Snapshot
Commonwealth Fund Vermont Tables
Aiming Higher: Results from a State Scorecard on Health System Performance, 2009
Commentary on Commonwealth Funds Report
by VPQ's Medical Director - Cy Jordan
The state, its insurers and hospitals have supported VPQ's statewide QI activities for over 20 years. A broad array of health care professionals have participated in VPQ’s Chronic Care Collaboratives and QI projects and as a result a “Culture of Quality” among the provider community has been nurtured. Therefore, it is not surprising that Vermont has achieved the ranking it has and continues to progress and improve. Pertinent to the mission of VPQ and others in the state that strive to improve the quality of care being delivered are a few interesting associations.
One broad finding is that states like Vermont who have ranked high in previous reports are able to continually advance at a rate greater than those states with lower rankings; the result being a widening of the gap between the top and bottom ranked states. Two areas of improvement that coincide with the focus and timing of VPQ initiatives are the decreased rate of death from colorectal cancer and improved care for persons with congestive heart failure. VPQ partnered with the Vermont Chapter of the American College of Surgeons in an effort that resulted to increased insurance coverage for colonoscopy screening which may have influenced the Vermont ranking in this area. VPQ led another statewide effort to improve the care for persons with congestive heart failure several years ago. Improvement in care for these persons in the state was previously documented in a federal study of the quality of care for this condition.
An area of concern is the relatively high incidence of pressure sores in Vermont's nursing homes. Another state-by-state comparison done by a federal quality agency has also highlighted potential issues in Vermont's nursing homes. VPQ has begun conversations with these providers to gain further understanding of these reports. It has been suggested that the population served by skilled nursing facilities in Vermont is generally sicker than in other states because of our Choices for Care initiative. Further investigation is warranted.
The Commonwealth Fund's Report ranks Vermont in the top quartile for the 5 dimensions of Health System Performance. These are 1. Access, 2. Prevention and Treatment, 3. Avoidable Hospital Use and Cost, 4. Equity and 5. Healthy Lives. The Commonwealth Fund looked at 38 indicators spanning these dimensions. The results indicate that although there is always room for improvement that the Vermont health system is doing a good job providing quality health care for Vermonters. This national ranking is something for the Vermont health providers, hospitals, and health care workers to take pride in.
|
|
|
|
;){kind=link}
