SNI Leads Sessions at International Conference on Quality Health Care for Culturally Diverse Populations

SNI recently facilitated two sessions at the Quality Health Care for Culturally Diverse Populations international conference, held Sept. 21-24 in Minneapolis, MN. SNI Director Wendy Jameson and Program Associate Erin Bowman joined colleagues from San Mateo Medical Center, San Francisco General Hospital, Paras and Associates, and the Health Research and Educational Trust in a pre-conference workshop. Drawing on the successes and lessons learned from California’s public hospitals, this session focused on assessing organizational readiness to engage in language services improvements and improving policies and procedures on language access. Presentations from this session can be found on the SNI homepage.

In the second session, Wendy Jameson moderated a panel comprised of experts from San Francisco General Hospital, the Health Research and Educational Trust, Paul Doyle and Associates, and Barnes-Jewish Hospital, which explored organizational journeys to implementing the Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) standards. To view more information on the conference, including conference handouts and abstracts, please visit the conference website.

CAPH Members Clean Up at LA County’s Productivity and Quality Awards

Four of the 10 top honors in the 22nd Annual Productivity and Quality Awards given by the Los Angeles County Quality and Productivity Commission were given to CAPH-member organizations. Competing with applicants from a range of county agencies, Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center won not just one but two of the Top 10 awards for their work in SNI-sponsored programs: Patient Visit Redesign and the Health Care Interpreters Network. LAC+USC Medical Center won a Top 10 award for their Breathmobile Program, in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (LADHS). LADHS won the fourth CAPH-member Top 10 award, with improvements through System-wide Pharmaceutical Management. Harbor-UCLA Medical Center won a special “Personal Best” award for their program, Improved Medication Safety for Pediatric Patients.

Improving ER Throughput at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center

Despite an increase in ER visits, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) has seen a dramatic reduction in ER wait times thanks to implementation of a new patient flow process. Through a variety of system changes, including how registration and triage are handled, the Emergency Department has cut wait times by more than 50 percent.  The new system has reduced overcrowding and allowed the sickest people to receive care more quickly, and has resulted in increased satisfaction for both patients and staff. ARMC received significant media coverage on this success story, including an article in the Riverside Press Enterprise and an editorial in the same newspaper praising the effort, as well as a story in California Healthline.  The San Bernardino County grand jury also gave kudos to the system in a recent report.

Contra Costa Regional Medical Center Recognized for Specialty Care Access Work

The California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) recently announced the five recipients for the LEAP Award (Leveraging Excellence, Advancing Practice), which recognizes the spread of model practices in California's health care delivery system and promotes innovative ways to address the growing needs of the state's underserved populations. CAPH-member Contra Costa Regional Medical Center (CCRMC) is one of the five recipients, recognized for their work to expand access to specialty care. CCRMC utilizes trainings for their primary care physicians, who work closely with specialists to provide care in their outpatient specialty clinics. The result is a better ability to care for underserved patients and the minimizing of wait times for specialty care. For more information about the award, see CHCF's press release.

Planning, Expansion, and Implementation Grants Still Available for Spreading Palliative Care in Public Hospitals Initiative

SNI is collaborating with the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) and UCSF’s Palliative Care Leadership Center (PCLC) to introduce palliative care services in two-thirds of California’s public hospitals by 2011. Three types of grants will be awarded under this initiative: planning, implementation, and expansion. SNI is pleased to announce that planning grants have recently been awarded to Riverside County Regional Medical Center and Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. The planning grants will provide hospital systems with an opportunity to receive expert training through PCLC and consultancy support to explore the viability of implementing a palliative care program. The deadline to apply for one of the six remaining planning grants is Dec. 1. Access the RFP here. In addition, CHCF will offer three expansion grants and eight implementation grants. The deadline for expansion and implementation proposals is June 2009.

Contact: Erin Bowman, (510) 874 -7119.

Kaiser Scholarships Available to CAPH Members for IHI Programs

The National Forum on Quality Improvement in Health Care is a great way to experience the breadth of the leading ideas and achievements in health care quality, which draws approximately 6,500 health care leaders from around the world.  SNI has a precious few Kaiser Permanente-sponsored scholarships remaining for this Dec. 8-11 event.

The 2009 Managing Hospital Operations program is now open for applicants.  Starting in Jan. 2009, the MHO program is a five-month commitment to help health care leaders improve operations by learning about and applying management techniques and strategies not traditionally used in health care.

Also, the Patient Safety Officer Executive Development Program, scheduled March 5-11, 2009, is now open for enrollment. The PSO program is an intensive seven-day program that aims to help participants to develop detailed, customized patient safety strategies and implementation plans.

Learn more about these and other IHI programs here.  Apply online on the SNI website.

California Patient Safety Action Coalition "Just Culture" Trainings

The California Patient Safety Action Coalition (CAPSAC), in collaboration with Outcome Engineering, will be offering one-day Just Culture trainings in 15 different locations across California. Just Culture aims to build an open learning culture through an approach that balances the need to promote open reporting with the need to hold managers and practitioners accountable for their behavioral choices. It is also an approach that can bring both the regulator and the regulated to one view of professional accountability. Click here to see dates and locations, as well as registration information.

Contact: Theresa Manley