Holzer receives award of nearly $800K to initiate TEAM STEPPS
The Appalachian Communication Consortium (ACC) has awarded Holzer Health System with funding of nearly $800K over the next four years to participate in a Communications Improvement Project (CIP) to enhance services to the Ohio River Valley. The ACC is part of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement Program. These groups offer competitive federal grants.
This project will be centered on TeamSTEPPS (Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety). The award project funds are focused on helping healthcare professionals improve patient safety and quality through effective communication and teamwork skills. TeamSTEPPS is an evidence-based set of tools and a training curriculum that successfully integrates communication and teamwork principles into healthcare systems. The program is based on decades of experience and lessons learned from high reliability organizations such as military operations, aviation, and nuclear power.
Laurie Collins, Director of Quality and Patient Safety at Holzer Health System, states, “We are extremely blessed to be a recipient of this award for the good of our communities. For Holzer, the goal of this project is to reduce readmissions in population age groups of 65 and above with diagnoses of congestive heart failure (CHF), pneumonia, sepsis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and urinary tract infections (UTI) through improved communication, utilizing TeamSTEPPS both within the system and with community partners as well as improving referrals for follow-up assistance. Leveraging the TeamSTEPPS program accelerates and positively advances our approach to constant quality improvement. We are thrilled to be part of this award and process.”
While this partnership has the potential to positively impact many different areas of Holzer and partnering organizations, the project has just begun. Initially, the model will focus on pneumonia, congestive heart failure, and sepsis. To do this work in an organized, cross-system manner, Holzer Health System will formally partner with Ohio Valley Physicians and the Area Agency on Aging District 7 to commission and train quality improvement teams to help install and expand the program over time.
Holzer’s main focus is to minimize hospitalizations by providing the most appropriate sources at the right time to avoid readmission. The rural Appalachian region that we reside in across Southern Ohio and Western West Virginia faces some of the most recognized and costly causes of hospital admissions. Collaboration is essential for improvement in the Appalachian region. Holzer intends to grow this model over time and include additional partners for greater impact.
For more information, contact Laurie Collins, Director of Quality and Patient Safety at Holzer Health System, at 740-446-5152 or lcollins@holzer.org.
