Hospitals improve care, strive to do more

Iowa is a leader in providing high-quality, lower-cost health care. That fact was recently reaffirmed by data collected by more than 125 hospitals participating in the Iowa Hospital Engagement Network, which is part of the national Partnership for Patients campaign.

According to the data, these hospitals prevented potential harm to more than 4,300 patients in 2013 and reduced health care costs by more than $51 million.

Among other improvements, participating hospitals reduced early elective baby deliveries by 90 percent; catheter associated urinary tract infections by 44 percent; adverse drug events by 28 percent; central line-associated blood stream infections in intensive care by 24 percent; surgical site infections by 24 percent; patient falls by 23 percent; and avoidable readmissions by 11 percent.

These are real, lifesaving, cost-reducing results brought about by real change in how Iowans receive care. Hospital teams carefully are examining and rethinking the processes that expose patients to potential harm. They are learning and establishing best practices for everything from washing hands and cleaning rooms to using electronic health records.

And they are publicly reporting their results. For nearly a decade, the Iowa Healthcare Collaborative has promoted transparency in Iowa health care performance through its 'Iowa Report,” which collects and presents information on national, state and hospital-specific quality and patient safety.

If you want to know how your hospital is performing in terms of safety and quality, the Iowa Report is a great place to start.

Can our hospitals and physicians do better? Of course they can. On a daily basis, physicians, nurses and other health care professionals work to gather data, share information and seek out solutions to ensure that every patient receives the best care when and where they need it.

The reality is that health care providers must do better. Health care never has been more complex and moving a patient from illness to healing, recovery and back to normal health has never been more challenging. Moreover, the need to prevent illness in the first place - through wellness, care coordination and patient-centered care - never has been more important.

As health care becomes more consumer-directed and comparative information such as the Iowa Report becomes more available, hospitals and physicians will compete on value. And why shouldn't they? Whether it's individuals or insurance companies, those who pay for health care deserve to know how well providers are performing.

Iowa hospitals and physicians recognize that reality. In fact, they embrace it, which is why the Iowa Healthcare Collaborative exists and why Iowa is a health care value leader, as the data attest.

Visit the IHC website (www.ihconline.org) and ask your hospital: What are you doing to make health care a better value for me and my community?

' Dr. Tom Evans is the president and CEO of the Iowa Healthcare Collaborative. Comments: evanst@ihconline.org