The Unified Clinical Organization (UCO), an innovative care improvement
model from Trinity
Health, is improving care coordination, patient outcomes and
advancing standardization of care practices with support from Accenture
(ACN). As
a result, for one example, a new care model for sepsis patients has
helped Trinity Health save $17 million in annual costs related to sepsis
care and reduced patient mortality from sepsis by almost 20 percent,
according to information Accenture released today at HIMMS Annual
Conference & Exhibition (HIMSS).
These and other achievements of the UCO are helping Trinity Health
reduce healthcare costs while increasing care quality and making it
possible to expand access to more people.
“We consider (the creation of our Unified Clinical Organization) a real
breakthrough in our ability to deliver consistent, top quality care to
every patient, every time, in every Trinity Health location,” said Paul
Conlon, Senior Vice President of Clinical Quality and Patient Safety.
“We are proud of the innovation and accountability of our clinician-led
teams and their ability to apply industrial strength analytic and change
management tools to advance our core mission – to improve the health of
our communities and to steward the resources entrusted to us.”
Trinity Health worked with Accenture to identify system-wide
opportunities for improving clinical and disease management outcomes
across their 49 hospitals and involving over 10,000 clinicians. As part
of a three-year initiative, Trinity Health established the UCO, a unique
operating model to establish highly effective, reliable clinical
practices, including medication reconciliation, patient safety protocols
and standard care models for specific acute care scenarios, such as
sepsis and heart failure.
Since its introduction, the model has produced significant improvements
in patient safety and operational efficiencies enabled by technology
enhancements. Working collaboratively across the enterprise, the Trinity
Health clinician team efforts have resulted in many quality and safety
improvements, including, but not limited to:
-
Streamlined processes for medication reconciliation resulted in a 20
percent improvement in composite medication reconciliation and a 62
percent improvement in medication reconciliation completion for
admitted patients. There was also a five percent reduction in adverse
drug events.
-
An 18 percent reduction in mortality rates with over 400 lives saved
due to proactive management of care for patients with sepsis using
evidence-based clinical protocols.
-
Reduced likelihood of inpatient falls by enhanced documentation of
patient fall risk, 'real time' assessments and by implementing
targeted interventions to prevent falls.
About Trinity Health
Trinity Health is the 10th largest health system in the nation and the
fourth largest Catholic health care system in the country, by total
number of hospitals and total bed count, respectively. Based in Novi,
Mich., Trinity Health operates 47 acute-care hospitals, 432 outpatient
facilities, 32 long-term care facilities, and numerous home health
offices and hospice programs in 10 states. Trinity Health reports about
$9.0 billion in unrestricted revenue. As a not-for-profit health system,
Trinity Health reinvests its profits back into the community through
programs to serve those who are poor and uninsured, manage chronic
conditions like diabetes, health education and promotion initiatives,
and outreach for the elderly. In fiscal 2012, this included more than
$616 million in such community benefits.
Learn more about Accenture’s Insight
Driven Health.
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and
outsourcing company, with 259,000 people serving clients in more than
120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive
capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive
research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture
collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance
businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of
US$27.9 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2012. Its home page
is www.accenture.com.
