Concerning quality measures in healthcare organizations, a common complaint is, “I've got so many people looking over my shoulder, pulling our data in, ranking me, rating me, everything else, and there is no way I can keep track of literally the hundreds of metrics for which we’re accountable.”

On this episode of our award-winning podcast, Dr. Tomas Villanueva welcomes back a leading quality expert to discuss how organizations can approach quality metrics today – what metrics to choose and how to apply them.

Moderator: Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM Senior Principal, Performance Improvement Consulting Vizient

Guest: Rick May, MD Senior Principal, Consulting Solutions Vizient

Show Notes:

[01:49] Why measuring quality is crucial

[02:17] If you do quality well, financial success follows

[02:57] Quality attracts staff

[03:46] Has quality improved overall in healthcare?

[04:42] Choosing the right metrics – 500 metrics exist overall

[05:58] Mishmash in timing of measures – complex and “all over the map”

[08:03] Realistic rate of improvement (hint: it’s not 10%!)

[08:53] Impact of under-capturing documentation

Links | Resources:

To contact Modern Practice: modernpracticepodcast@vizientinc.com

Dr. May’s email: rick.may@vizientinc.com

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This episode of the award-winning podcast examines the importance of risk adjustment. Dr. Tomas Villanueva leads the discussion on the impact of this crucial aspect of documentation that can affect hospital outcomes.

Moderator:

Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM

Senior Principal, Clinical Operations and Quality

Vizient

Guest:

Erica Braun, MS, RN, CCDS

Senior Consulting Director, Clinical Documentation Improvement

Vizient

Show Notes:

[01:29] Defining risk adjustment – maintaining an apples to apples comparison

[02:41] Capturing comorbid conditions to the highest level of specificity

[04:08] Capturing the low-hanging fruit

[05:47] Case mix index issues

[07:44] Severity of illness and risk of mortality

[08:52] Addressing query fatigue

Resources:

To contact Modern Practice: modernpracticepodcast@vizientinc.com

Erica Braun’s email: erica.braun@vizientinc.com

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Screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) has seen a lot of innovations, but there is still the conventional gold standard. On this episode of our award-winning podcast, Dr. Tomas Villanueva welcomes Dr. Aziz Aadam to discuss the need for early colorectal cancer (CRC) detection, and the options available to patients.

Moderator:

Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM

Senior Principal, Clinical Operations and Quality

Vizient

Guest:

Abdul Aziz Aadam, MD

Interventional Gastroenterologist

Director, Interventional Endoscopy

Medical Director, International Patient Services

Northwestern Medicine

Show Notes:

[01:05] CRC screening options

[02:40] Colonoscopy advantages and disadvantages

[03:35] Virtual colonoscopies

[04:14] Artificial intelligence enhancement

[04:54] Improvements in the future

[07:10] No tests are foolproof

[07:50] Need to improve access

Resources:

To contact Modern Practice: modernpracticepodcast@vizientinc.com

Dr. Aadam’s email: abdul.aadam@northwestern.edu

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In this episode of the award-winning podcast Dr. Tomas Villanueva welcomes Dr. Aziz Aadam to discuss the need for early colorectal cancer (CRC) detection, which drastically increases the rate of survival, and how improvements in CRC screening are giving patients better options.

Moderator: Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM Senior Principal, Clinical Operations and Quality Vizient

Guest: Abdul Aziz Aadam, MD Interventional Gastroenterologist Director, Interventional Endoscopy Medical Director, International Patient Services Northwestern Medicine

Show Notes:

[01:11] Endoscopic submucosal dissection

[02:10] Prevalence of colorectal cancer

[02:38] Risk factors

[05:10] Reason for the need of early detection

[06:35] Challenges for screening

[07:56] Rise in younger patients

[09:11] Screening of the elderly

[09:54] Increasing screening rates

[11:09] Additional screening options

Links | Resources:

To contact Modern Practice: modernpracticepodcast@vizientinc.com

Dr. Aadam’s email: abdul.aadam@northwestern.edu

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On this episode, we continue our discussion on preventing surgical smoke in the OR.

Moderator: Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM Senior Principal, Performance Improvement Consulting Vizient

Guest: Rachel Medina, BSBA Senior Category Manager, Surgical Services Vizient

Show Notes:

[00:29] Regulation and legislation around surgical smoke

[03:04] Best practices

[04:09] Sustaining efforts on smoke prevention

[05:01] Technological advances in prevention

[06:15] Financial costs and learning curve – outweighed by benefits

Links | Resources:

To contact Modern Practice: modernpracticepodcast@vizientinc.com

Rachel Medina’s email: rachel.medina@vizientinc.com

“As important as the air you breathe” (Vizient Tech Watch, p 38): Tech Watch Medical Device - Volume 2, 2022

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The daily smoke produced in an operating room is the equivalent of 27-30 cigarettes, and the OR staff breathes this in five days a week. When tools in the OR cut and cauterize human tissue, they generate a plume of smoke containing toxic chemicals, carcinogens, malignant cells and viruses. Surgical smoke can cause a host of conditions, anything from headaches and sore throat to lung disease and lung cancer. On this episode, a Vizient expert discusses the ramifications of surgical smoke and how to begin preventing it.

Moderator: Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM Senior Principal, Performance Improvement Consulting Vizient

Guest: Rachel Medina, BSBA Senior Category Manager, Surgical Services Vizient

Show Notes:

[01:27] Surgical smoke: a byproduct of surgical procedures

[01:51] Health issues from surgical smoke

[02:15] Not considered seriously over the decades

[02:47] Lung disease in physicians and OR staff

[03:34] Financial implications

[04:47] Growing awareness and the role of AORN

[06:33] Toxic materials and the effects of smoke plumes in the OR

[08:30] Vizient platform developing on surgical smoke

Links | Resources:

To contact Modern Practice: modernpracticepodcast@vizientinc.com

Rachel Medina’s email: rachel.medina@vizientinc.com

“As important as the air you breathe” (Vizient Tech Watch, p 38): Tech Watch Medical Device - Volume 2, 2022

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On this episode of our award-winning podcast, we finish our feature on an organization that has made huge strides in reducing Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs) throughout health system. We will discuss the phenomenal results of the initiative so far and what is planned for the near future at Sanford Health.

Moderator: Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM Senior Principal Clinical Operations and Quality Vizient

Guests: Rachel Leyk, RN, CMSRN, CPHQ Improvement Advisor Quality and Safety – Fargo Sanford Health

Devendranath (Dev) Mannuru, MD, CHCOM Internal Medicine Hospitalist CDI and Quality Physician Advisor Sanford Hospital – Fargo

Khaled Zreik, MD Director, Critical Care Acute Care Surgeon Sanford Health

Show Notes:

[00:39] Use of data in managing PSI reduction

[03:14] Results of a successful program

[04:05] Lessons learned

[08:15] Expanding and standardizing throughout the enterprise

Links | Resources:

To contact Modern Practice: modernpracticepodcast@vizientinc.com

Rachel Leyk’s email: rachel.leyk@sanfordhealth.org

Dr. Mannuru’s email: devendranath.mannuru@sanfordhealth.org

Dr. Zreik’s email: khaled.zreik@sanfordhealth.org

PSI ACS Poster: PSI ACS Poster

2023 Quality and Safety Conference presentation: 2023 QSC presentation

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On this episode of Modern Practice, we continue highlighting an organization that has made huge strides in reducing Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs) throughout health system.

Moderator: Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM Senior Principal Clinical Operations and Quality Vizient

Guests: Rachel Leyk, RN, CMSRN, CPHQ Improvement Advisor Quality and Safety – Fargo Sanford Health

Devendranath (Dev) Mannuru, MD, CHCOM Internal Medicine Hospitalist CDI and Quality Physician Advisor Sanford Hospital – Fargo

Khaled Zreik, MD Director, Critical Care Acute Care Surgeon Sanford Health

Show Notes:

[01:06] Managing PSI notifications to staff – keeping it non-punitive

[03:46 Escalation process versus peer review – addressing practice variation

[05:12] Keys to achieving collaboration

Links | Resources:

To contact Modern Practice: modernpracticepodcast@vizientinc.com

Rachel Leyk’s email: rachel.leyk@sanfordhealth.org

Dr. Mannuru’s email: devendranath.mannuru@sanfordhealth.org

Dr. Zreik’s email: khaled.zreik@sanfordhealth.org

PSI ACS Poster: PSI ACS Poster

2023 Quality and Safety Conference presentation: 2023 QSC presentation

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