Hospitalist group reports success with process improvement project

Rachel Thompson, M.D., professor division of general medicine and chief of the section of hospital medicine, reported that her team has seen success with a Process Improvement Project that began just last year. Chaired by Christopher Smith, M.D., and Vasthala Juuvigunta, M.B.B.S., both assistant professors in the division of general medicine, the team took on readmissions for patients with alcohol use disorders given this subset’s high readmission baseline rate.
 
At the outset, the team’s primary goal was to decrease 30-day readmission for patients admitted with alcohol withdrawal by 15 percent. The secondary goal was to improve the prescription of sobriety maintenance medications from two percent to 20 percent.
 
Their most recent data shows they are meeting the primary goal with a readmission rate of 17.4 percent. While their sobriety medication prescribing is currently at 16.4 percent and not yet meeting their goal, it is significantly improved compared to baseline.  
 
The team is continuing with its process improvement project and is implementing interventions like a new inpatient collaboration with the Department of Psychiatry and with behavior health experts from the Midtown Clinic.