Quality Measures Making a Difference in Organizations

Quality measures are very important in healthcare but not just any quality measure should be pursued. Healthcare organizations should focus on their Quality Measures Making a Difference so they can move their organization forward.

One way to do this is to prioritize measures that truly make a difference. Every healthcare personnel goal is to keep patients safe and improve their health outcomes. When trends shift from process measures to outcome measure, it means they are one step closer to achieving this goal. The most widely used outcome measures are mortality rates and readmission rates and these are very important. In addition to these, there are also highly important patient safety measures that can be implemented in order to achieve higher outcomes. These patient safety measures are surgical site infection (SSI), Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI), and Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI). These measures also fall under the pay-for-performance scheme (but that is a different conversation for another day).

Performing poorly on patient safety measures means not doing well by patients and leaving money on the table but most importantly, leaving patients dissatisfied with your service. A healthcare organization’s your internal goals should align with benchmarks and thresholds identified in the pay-for-performance programs.

When it comes to quality measures, yes, financial considerations should also be monitored. I mean, a healthcare organization does no one any good if it closes down due to a lack of income. There's a saying that goes: “no margin, no mission”. It’s important to look at the alignment of measures across programs, understand the reimbursement tied to each one, and then make informed decisions about which ones to support the most. Healthcare organizations should also align quality measures across different programs. There might be too many measures to count so they have to be streamlined.

Understand the similarities between measures and optimize improvement efforts with the end goal of gaining efficiencies in data collection and reporting. I know what you are thinking: “here we go again with the talk about data”. There may be differences in measure numerators and denominators between programs, but the bottom line is to find the common ground that improves care in order to do well across program requirements, then integrate and align them so clinicians aren’t saddled with additional work while improving outcomes. And data can help you do this more efficiently.

Another important move to make when you want your quality measure initiatives to make a difference is to involve the right people. You need to include every department in your plan and include the department leadership as well. Yes, some departments might be more important to you initiative than others, but when there is cohesion throughout the environment, then there is a higher chance that they will help you achieve your goals. A strong connection between the quality measures and quality improvement teams is critical to set measurable goals.

Make A Difference By Inviting a Speaker

When it comes to making a difference in an organization, you need to be creative in how you do it. Employees need to be motivated and they need to believe in the company they work for. There are various ways you can make a difference in an organization and one of those ways is inviting an external person to come speak to your employees to inform, educate, and motivate them. Now the kind of speaker you invite depends on the kind of talk you want and that depends on the kind of motivation you want to give your employees. It also depends on the company culture and the state of things in your organization.

There are different types of speakers that you can invite to give a presentation to your organization --

Informative Speaker

An informative speaker shares critical information with your employees that will expand their knowledge and give them new ideas about their job. These kind of speakers are usually experts in the industry and their goal is to relay information that will not only further educate your employees but have them excited about their job.

Instructive Speakers

These kinds of speakers come to deliver practical information and ideas that will help your employees be more productive in their day to day activities on the job. The share information like productive tools to use, best practices, and new skills that can be acquired. This kind of speakers usually also give workshops and training.

Inspirational Speakers

Is the name implies, the goal of inspirational speakers is to inspire your employees and motivate them. There are different ways that inspirational speakers get their message across and achieve the effects they need. They can do it through storytelling or through well crafted motivational messages.

Entertaining Speakers

The goal of entertaining speakers is to have their audience relax and have a good time. You can invite them if you need your employees to relax and have a good time and also if you need to raise their spirits. Entertaining speakers keep your audience engaged. Example of an entertaining speaker is a comedian for example.

All in One

There are speakers that overlap in their specialty also so you might find a speaker that informs but also motivates their audience. There are also high-quality speakers who are so good at what they do that they possess all four of these characteristics. These speakers are usually more expensive to get because they are experts in their field. If you have the resources, this is usually the best option.