In 2008, Premier launched its Quality, Efficiency and Safety with Transparency, or QUEST, collaborative to improve care quality and reduce patient harm in acute care settings. The results of the collaborative were published in the Joint Commission's Journal on Quality and Patient Safety.
The QUEST program involves getting hospitals to contribute data, share learnings and work together to develop best practices among acute care healthcare organizations across the country. To compare care quality and patient safety from before and after the program, the authors of the study examined data from 356 members between 2006 and 2015.
Here are five findings from the study.
1. The average cost per hospital discharge decreased from $8,296 to $8,217 between 2013 and 2015. The median decreased from $8,459 to $7,895.
2. Use of evidence-based care measures improved from a mean of 77 percent and a median of 79 percent in 2006 to a mean of 95 percent and a median of 96 percent in 2015.
3. On average, observed-to-expected mortality improved from 1 percent better-than-expected outcomes to 22 percent better-than-expected outcomes throughout the course of the study.
4. The QUEST safety harm composite score showed a moderate reduction between 2009 and 2015.
5. The observed-to-expected readmission rates also improved from 5 percent better-than-expected in 2010 to 8 percent better-than-expected in 2015.
"Analysis of…data suggests that when key practices are implemented, patient outcomes are improved. These findings may provide the essential link between research knowledge and clinical practice and allow staff to identify the critical aspects and care pathways essential for driving and sustaining [quality improvement]," the authors concluded. "With a model built on continuous learning that is shared across all members of the collaborative, QUEST is able to quickly adapt and disseminate best-practice information."
To access the full study, click here.
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