Knowledge on the Go

Closing out Workplace Violence Awareness Month, Lindsay Mayer and Heidi Boehm deep dive into protocols and procedures for dealing with the aftermath of a violent event.   Guest speaker: Heidi Boehm Behavioral Health Program Manager The University of Kansas Health System   Moderator: Lindsay Mayer Senior Director Vizient   Show Notes: [00:38] Survey employees to learn how supported they feel.     [...

Continuing the discussion for Workplace Violence Awareness Month, Lindsay Mayer, Rick Litzinger, and Dan Hunnisett explore the importance of building a solid foundation for staff education and training programs around workplace violence.   Guest speaker: Rick Litzinger Manager, Emergency Preparedness, Safety, Security Altru Health System   Dan Hunnisett Security Program Specialist, Security  Altru...

In recognition of Workplace Violence Awareness Month, Lindsay Mayer, Mark Reed, and Diana Scott discuss the latest workplace violence statistics and the trends organizations are facing within the industry.   Guest speaker: Mark Reed Director of Support Services MLK Community Healthcare   Diana Scott Associate Vice President of Accreditation and Regulatory Advisory Services Vizient   Moderator: Lin...

High Reliability Organizations are organizations that experiences success in avoiding harm within a highly complex and risky business.  This podcast will discuss how one participant of the Vizient High Reliability PI Collaborative reduced their patient falls.   Guest speakers: Bert Lindsey, PT, DH Director of Rehab Services & Patient Mobility, Acute Saint Tammany Health System   Rebecca Baradell R...

In recognition of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Joe Cummings and Marilyn Sherrill explore exciting and innovative technological advancements in colonoscopy screening.   Guest speaker: Joe Cummings, PhD Technology Program Director Vizient   Moderator: Marilyn Sherrill, RN, MBA Performance Improvement Program Director Vizient   Show Notes: [01:20] A new technology called GI Genius...

Dr. Joe Cummings and Heather Ramirez discuss the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for stroke detection, triage, and notification.   Guest speaker: Joe Cummings, PhD Technology Program Director Vizient   Moderator: Heather Ramirez, MS-HSM Ventures Director Vizient   Show Notes: [01:26] There are many types of, and uses for, Artificial Intelligence. [02:54] AI brings high value when used for acut...

Vizient Technology Program Director, Dr. Joe Cummings, provides insights on evidence-based technology assessments in support of the knowledge domain, one of four performance domains in Vizient’s CSI model, which focuses on clinical literature and evaluation.   Guest speaker: Joe Cummings, PhD Technology Program Director Vizient   Moderator: LaTammy Marks, MBA, BSN, RN Performance Improvement Progr...

The pandemic has shifted ambulatory care drastically. Vizient technology and innovation expert, Dr. Joe Cummings, shares incredible new technologies that are reshaping the future of ambulatory care.       Guest speaker: Joe Cummings, PhD Technology Program Director Vizient   Moderator: Courtney Furrow-White, MPM, RN Performance Improvement Program Director Vizient   Show Notes: [01:31] Non-traditi...

Technology Program Director, Dr. Joe Cummings, shares information and insights about innovative technologies in the field of rapid diagnostics of sepsis.    Guest speaker: Joe Cummings, PhD Technology Program Director Vizient   Moderator: Shannon Hale, MHA, RN, CPHQ Performance Improvement Collaboratives Director Vizient   Show Notes: [01:15] New testing with new technologies is rapidly developing...

It’s estimated that 40% of all Medicare patients go into post-acute care and of those, nearly 23% are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days. This podcast highlights what one organization plans to do to reduce their readmissions.   Guests: Heidi Young, RN Senior Quality Project Manager ProHealth Care    Jessica Zuercher, MS, MBA, RN Director, Continuum of Care ProHealth Care   Moderator:  Linds...

In this program, Michelle McCormick, Revenue Integrity Director, Clinical Documentation Integrity and Mark LeBlanc, Manager Clinical Documentation Integrity, both at Stanford Health, discuss how they shaped their successful CDI program through the fundamentals of prioritization, clarity and transparency.   Guests: Michelle McCormick, RN, MBA-HCM, BSN, CCDS, CCS, CRCR Revenue Integrity Director, Cl...

In this program, Ed Bonetti from UMass Memorial Health Care and Vizient shares his insights on how the COVID pandemic exposed the difference between strategic and actual preparedness of the medical supply chain. a Vizient PI Collaborative helped them to learn from each other and prepare to re-evaluate their preparedness and find ways to be more resilient for future catastrophic events.   Guest Spe...

Effectively managing sepsis is a challenge in every health care organization, and it has required an extensive and involving program at the medical center for Keck Medicine of USC in Los Angeles. Keeping clinicians, particularly physicians, engaged is crucial to improving clinical outcomes in sepsis patients. This podcast delves into real-world, essential details about how both the work of a physi...

Social determinants of health is a problem that affects all American communities. Every hospital needs to assess their community’s social needs, some do it better than others. This podcast highlights one organization with a unique approach on how to identify individuals with social needs and address those needs.   Guest speakers: Kathryn Bazylewicz Vice President, Marketing and Population Health C...

Managing patient capacity in a health care facility is a complex, crucial undertaking that involves teamwork across the care continuum. On this episode, leaders from Keck Medicine of USC discuss their areas of focus to get their capacity management program off the ground, how they pulled together the right individuals to improve their process and the steps other organizations can take to get their...

One of the most compelling lessons Marcia Baker learned from a recent Vizient High Reliability and Sustainability Benchmarking Study is that “variation hides issues.” She and her colleague Sandy Cox have worked to uncover those issues and, in Sandy’s words, “Fix the problem.” On this podcast, Marcia and Sandy share about the efforts across Novant Health to engage team members to uncover issues, fi...

The Coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on hospitals and clinicians across the country. As the surge persists, staff stressors increase, and the relentless pressure compounds the seriousness of the problem. This episode reveals how Rush University Medical Center’s Strategic Communications department became a key player in helping the hospital, staff and community cope during the COVID pandemic c...

The Coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on clinicians across the country. As the surge persists, staff stressors increase, and the relentless pressure compounds the seriousness of the problem.  This episode reveals how a new Chief Medical Officer at Loyola Medical Center helped his staff and himself get through this unusual crisis event.   Guest speaker: Kevin Smith, MD, MBA (Guest) Chief Medica...

Patients who are high utilizers, also known as multi-visit patients (MVPs) or frequent flyers, whether found in the ED, inpatient units or other departments, drive up readmission rates and tie up resources. Often, clinicians and administrators hold out little hope that they can end the multi-visit cycles of these patients. Yet, by looking at a patient’s multiple visits as a symptom of a deeper pro...

In this program, Curt  Muhammad from University of Washington Harborview shares his insights on how Harborview Medical Center leadership established a respiratory protocol that included staff training for social determinants of health. The effort would generate better results for those patients and better effectiveness for the staff.   Guests: Curt Muhammad, RRT, MSW COPD Case Manager Harborview M...

Lehigh Valley Health Network recently participated in a Vizient Performance Improvement Collaborative that reduced the use of opioids in orthopedic surgery. The key to success was convincing clinicians to join the initiative and fully participate. On this podcast, you’ll hear from two leaders at Lehigh Valley who share how they used data to accomplish this goal.   Guest speakers: Matthew McCambrid...

Hospitals are constantly faced with the pressure to improve quality and outcomes while reducing costs. Keir Mitchell and Kendra Pitts from the University of Illinois highlight their achievements in establishing a utilization protocol – with appropriate resources, including implants, for the orthopedic product category. They also discuss how participation in a Vizient Performance Improvement Collab...

Transitions of care can be arduous for clinicians and confusing to patients. Often, clinicians and patients alike face unreal expectations as to the level of care that results. As an answer, NYU Langone Health fostered better communication between clinicians in the acute-care areas and clinicians in the post-acute facilities to improve on the inefficiencies and drawbacks involved in care transitio...

Hospitals all over the country are overwhelmed by an increasing number of patients with behavioral health issues. Many use the emergency department to access care and end up staying in the hospital for a more extended time.  These patients jeopardize health care workers safety and impede their own ability to receive necessary care. The University of Kansas Health System developed a Behavioral Resp...

Sepsis is a life-threatening infection that kills nearly 270,000 Americans annually.  Another 1.7 million people develop sepsis but survive the experience.  In this podcast, we dive into the work of patient and family advisory councils and why the collaboration between patients, families and their providers can mean the difference between life and death.   Guests: Armando Nahum, Director, Center f...