Knowledge on the Go

In the wake of COVID, the nation’s health care organizations are experiencing staffing shortages, burnout and other workforce challenges.  Health leaders are turning to innovation, technology and alternative staffing models to address these challenges. Vizient’s Principal of Clinical Workforce Strategy, Dr. Jacqueline Herd, joins us to discuss ways health organizations can improve efficiency, work...

Patient length of stay (LOS) is a crucial measurement for health care organizations since longer patient stays increase patient risk for complications while reducing patient satisfaction. They also represent higher costs for the hospital. At the University of Kentucky, using a model of short-term improvement actions called “sprints,” along with participation in a Vizient performance improvement co...

The mental health of our children is important to our society. Unfortunately, the state of mental wellness for our nation’s children and adolescents is declining. Twenty percent were diagnosed with a mental disorder before COVID-19, and only a fraction of that is receiving professional help. Vizient’s Technology Program Director, Joe Cummings joins us to discuss innovative digital technologies to...

In healthcare today, with care shifting from hospitals and clinics to the home, remote patient monitoring (RPM) provides a key foundational element to the success of that transition. Health care organizations need to fully implement RPM as a vital strategy to promote health and improve patient management and care. Through RPM, providers capture disease-related and physiological data on the patient...

Revenue and margins, deferred surgeries, preventive care, rising patient acuity, a maturing inpatient to outpatient shift and the persistent pressure of health inequality impact surgery volumes.   In the second part of this two-part program, Dr Jay Prystowski and Rosanne Zagone join host Marilyn Sherrill to discuss the effects of first case, on time starts and how important staying on time is for...

Revenue and margins, deferred surgeries, preventive care, rising patient acuity, a maturing inpatient to outpatient shift and the persistent pressure of health inequality impact surgery volumes.   In the first part of this two-part program, Dr Jay Prystowski and Rosanne Zagone join host Marilyn Sherrill to discuss the effects on surgical services throughput as it relates to operating room utilizat...

This episode continues examining insights gained from the Optimization of Biosimilars Medications Collaborative.   Chelsee Jensen and Scott Soefje from Mayo Clinic discuss their participation in the project, key takeaways and what's on the horizon in the Biosimilar market.    Speakers: Chelsee J. Jensen, Pharm. D., BCPS, R.Ph. Senior Pharmacy Specialist, Pharmaceutical Formulary Manager Supply Cha...

With a potential savings of over $100 million over the next five years, spend on biologics continues to outpace the total market by a two-to-one margin. However, utilization rates in the United States have been slowed by numerous issues.   Wendy Biese and Carmen Gust join this episode to discuss the strategies ThedaCare Regional Medical Center has adopted to optimize biosimilars, and some of the b...

Studies have shown that Care At Home promotes an effective and cost-efficient manner for patients to recover.   Jayme Zage and Brianna Motley, both from Sg2, join this episode to discuss the findings and insights garnered from the Integrated Performance Solution Care At Home Strategy Accelerator and how organizations can identify and prioritize what options and programs best fit their health-care-...

Research indicates that unmet social determinants of health —such as transportation, housing, and food security —can negatively impact health outcomes.   Kristin Burger O’Neal and Donna Avila join this episode to discuss how their team at Norman Regional Health System began screening for social determinants of health, and the impact on patient care.   Speakers: Donna Avila, RN Director, Care Coord...

Adults with food insecurities have an increased risk for negative health outcomes, including obesity and chronic disease; and children with food insecurities may be at a higher risk for obesity, developmental problems and mental health issues. In this podcast, we’ll discuss what Main Line Health is doing to address food insecurities for their patients who come through their emergency departments....

This episode features a team using a systemwide approach to communicate quality data and engage their stakeholders. Through this ongoing process, they have forged relationships that have improved patient care throughout the Intermountain Healthcare organization.   Guest speakers: Bonnie Gregson, MSN, CPHQ System Quality Senior Clinical Operations Manager Office of Patient Experience Intermountain...

CDC statistics suggest that one in three people who die in a hospital have sepsis. Furthermore, in almost 87% of cases the patient had sepsis or a sepsis-causing infection before admission to the hospital. Innovative healthcare organizations are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to combat sepsis. In this episode, Dr. Joe Cummings explains the technology and shares the late...

Facilitating access to care for patients is focused on ensuring timely, necessary, and appropriate health care services. Improving access to care is a strategic priority for most health systems and a challenge for nearly all.   The Association of American Medical Colleges and Vizient recently collaborated on a study regarding a patient-centered approach to optimizing ambulatory access.  Guests on...

Indirect spending is defined as any purchase or services that are internal or external to a healthcare organization but fall outside of med-surg supplies, pharmacy, physician preference items (PPI), and capital. You might be surprised to learn that indirect spending accounts for up to 30% of a hospital’s total operating expenses. Today’s guests discuss the current state of indirect spending, its i...

Early detection of cancer can dramatically increase the efficacy of curative treatment. Unfortunately, early screening tests exist for only a small number of cancers, meaning most are not diagnosed until symptoms arise in the later stages of the disease.   Better cancer screening is, therefore, a major focus area for clinical performance improvement. Marilyn Sherrill talks with Dr. Joe Cummings ab...

As sepsis continues to be a major cause of death representing a substantial healthcare burden, Vizient hosted a performance improvement collaborative focused on sepsis early recognition. Shannon Hale explores guidelines and best practices with collaborative participant Amy Lorenz of Covenant HealthCare.    Guest speaker: Amy Lorenz  Lead Quality Improvement Specialist Covenant Healthcare   Moderat...

A high reliability organization is an organization that has experienced significant success in avoiding harm within an environment of high complexity and risk. These organizations create a collective state of mindfulness that produces an enhanced ability to discover and correct errors before they escalate into a crisis. Marilyn Sherrill discusses high reliability culture with Dr. Michael Leonard o...

Jim Lichauer, Meryl Biksacky, and Conor Hanrahan discuss the strategies Intermountain Healthcare implemented to improve their immune globulin utilization.   Guest speaker: Meryl Biksacky, PharmD Pharmacist, Drug Information Specialist Drug Shortage Management CO-Lead Intermountain Healthcare Drug Information Services   Conor Hanrahan, PharmD, MS, BCPS, CPHQ Medication Policy, Outcomes and Stewards...

In this episode, IU Health Southern Indiana Physician’s Service Line Administrator discuss their experience with the Redesigning Ambulator Care Collaborative. Each participant chose a performance improvement project to address and Elizabeth Thompson shares the rather surprising discovery the team made and the solution that made a difference.   Guest speaker: Elizabeth Thompson, BS, MSL Service Lin...

Marilyn Sherrill and her guests, Dr. Matthew Lyon and Dr. Max Bursey, take a deep look at Augusta University Medical Center’s successes and challenges regarding Interhospital transfers.         Guest speakers: Max Bursey, DO Associate Professor, Service Chief Department of Emergency Medicine Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University   Matthew Lyon, MD Associate Dean, Experiential Learning ...

As the demand for patient care at home increases, one component driving the move is technology.  In this Knowledge on the Go episode, Dr. Joe Cummings of Vizient and Andrew Rebhan of Sg2 outline what’s connecting clinicians and their patients.  From smartphones to sensors to artificial intelligence, PI Program Director Courtney Furrow-White quizzes our experts on how technology is making a differe...

This week on Sg2 Perspectives, Sg2 Principals Heidi Pandya, MSHA, and Jayme Zage, PhD, join us to discuss all things related to health care at home. Heidi and Jayme start with the current landscape and why health care organizations are evaluating care-at-home services, and then cover how organizations can get started with health-care-at-home programs and prioritize their options. (Hint: stand back...

Michelle Lewis and Pat Reagan Webster discuss the challenges and successes of Strong Memorial Hospital’s improvement journey with onset C. difficile infection rates.   Guest speaker: Pat Reagan Webster Associate Quality Officer Strong Memorial Hospital   Moderator: Michelle Lewis Senior Director, Programs Vizient   Show Notes: [01:09] Strong Memorial Hospital had plateaued in its efforts to decrea...

Dr. Joe Cummings and Courtney Furrow-White explore fascinating new technologies that are advancing mental health care yet, at the same time, are causing some concerns.   Guest speaker: Joe Cummings, PhD Technology Program Director Vizient   Moderator: Courtney Furrow-White Performance Improvement Program Director Vizient   Show Notes: [01:21] Digital technologies include apps, AI, VR, and chatbots...