Case Study – Finding Potential Solutions To Quality Issues Identified By Quality Reports

Your hospital's quality scorecard shows that the facility had a lower  rate of compliance for the following quality measures compared to other  hospitals in the area: 

• Percent of heart failure patients with left ventricular systolic  dysfunction (LVSD) who are prescribed an ACEI or ARB at hospital  discharge
• Number of acute myocardial infarction (MI) patients who are prescribed a beta-blocker at hospital discharge
• Percentage of ischemic stroke patients administered (given) anti-thrombotic therapy by the end of hospital day 2

Hospital administration wants the performance improvement team to  research the possible causes for these rates and to develop some  potential solutions that will help improve compliance. Select the  components of the processes evaluated in these measures that you think  may affect compliance. (You may want to review the measure definitions  and content at www.qualitymeasures.ahrq.gov  which explain the processes and outcomes involved). Then, develop one  or two ideas for solutions for each measure, such as educating staff or  changing a workflow.

Using APA format, write a 3 page proposal to the performance  improvement team that details the clinical and administrative processes  which you believe are involved that the team should address in creating  an improvement plan. Be sure to identify the clinical and administrative  data that will be needed to analyze processes and determine how they  affect outcomes (mortality).