Once again, our annual Roundtable brought together dedicated physicians, nurses, informaticists, and other healthcare professionals, all working to reduce care variation using the gold-standard, research-based Rothman Index. We were hosted by Mission Health in Asheville, NC, where we celebrated 10 years of lifesaving intelligence, heard best practices and results from our partner health systems, and engaged in lively discussion on important themes impacting healthcare today:
Communication and situational awareness Hospitals are using the Rothman Index (RI) to communicate with patients and families. It’s objective and helps develop trust. One hospital is developing an RI pamphlet to educate family members. “The view of the RI graph is the clearest part of the multi-disciplinary rounds for the family,” said a physician leader.
After implementing the RELATIONS™ for Healthcare Transformation program, one physician practice improved satisfaction scores for “overall quality of care,” and “doctors’ communication/keeping patients informed.” “Purpose is the antidote for burnout,” said William Maples, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Institute for Healthcare Excellence.
“The RI is like a puzzle with the edges done and with instructions to follow,” said one nurse manager, commenting on the RI’s ability to guide care planning.
Research
A children’s hospital is developing a predictive model for pediatric readmissions. The pediatric Rothman Index (pRI) brings lifesaving intelligence to children’s units and hospitals.
We introduced the Rothman Society for Innovation and Research, dedicated to furthering research and innovation on expanded applications of the RI. The Rothman Society continues the breakthrough work that is the foundation of PeraHealth’s proven results.
“We’ve just scratched the surface,” says Michael Rothman, PeraHealth’s Co-founder and Chief Science Officer, in an exclusive video message.
Developing RI protocols
Proactive rounding using the RI is helping teams catch patient downtrends and intervene earlier. One clinical team implemented a process where the rapid response team is notified when ICU transfer orders are entered. The team proactively evaluates RI graphs to ensure the patient is ready for transfer. That team has reduced ICU bouncebacks and code blues. “Everyone knows who we are and how we can help, so it helps with our communication,” says one nurse.
Another organization improved documentation timeliness: “The RI helped achieve a great improvement…90 percent of documentation is now done within our guidelines of two hours for assessments and one hour for vital signs.”
PeraHealth solutions are helping Command Centers manage system-wide patient flow, proactive rounding, and safety huddles with interactive dashboard and drill-down views.
Ongoing education and communication
The RI is a valuable resource for educating new nurses…a way for them to see how accurate and timely documentation is put into practice.
In one hospital study, the RI had “Very High” alerts firing 2.8 times less often than NEWS alerts and detected clinical deterioration for more mortality cases with fewer false alerts.
Expanded use and implementation of the RI
Hospitals have improved appropriate use and timeliness of palliative care consults when the RI is part of trigger criteria. Over a 12-month period, one hospital had a 63 percent increase in total palliative care consults and a 444 percent increase in ICU palliative care consults. The hospital has the lowest mortality rate across its system and estimates cost savings per case of $3274, with annual savings at almost $1.5 million.
One large health system uses PeraHealth solutions to help manage transfer decisions across their broad network, ensuring care is provided “closer to home” when possible and to effectively deploy Rapid Response efforts.
PeraHealth is working on a mobile solution, which will enable on-the-go clinicians to identify at-risk patients earlier for prioritized rounding and care delivery. From your mobile device, you will be able to keep a patient watchlist and input critical information.
View a message from our host health system, Mission Health
Join us for our next education event, a webinar on June 7, 2018, from 1-2 p.m. ET: “Introducing the Rothman Society for Innovation and Research.” Our focus topic will be readmissions, including a review of our current research, findings, and next steps. Register
We’re happy to discuss these and other topics or questions with you any time. Contact your account manager or email us at