Contact the Pennsylvania QIO for more details Quality Insights of Pennsylvania See QIO success in other states Success Stories: PENNSYLVANIA

DuBois Regional Medical Center worked from 2004 to 2006 with Quality Insights of Pennsylvania, the state’s QIO, to improve care for patients who are admitted with heart failure or heart attack (acute myocardial infarction) symptoms. The medical center saw rates for appropriate care of such patients soar from 62 percent in 2004 to 100 percent at the start of Fiscal Year 2006. Quality Insights of Pennsylvania, the state’s QIO, has worked since 2004 with Lancaster General Hospital to improve surgical infection rates. After working with the QIO, the number of Lancaster General patients who received timely antibiotics (within 60 minutes of incision) rose from 83 percent in July 2004 to 96 percent in March 2005. Timely discontinuation of antibiotics rose from 22 percent to 70 percent in the same time period. North Willow Grove , a three-physician family practice, worked with Quality Insights of Pennsylvania, the state’s QIO, to implement in September 2004 an electronic health record (EHR) system. With the new EHR system, the practice expects to save about $50,000 a year on transcription costs and is able to more prudently allocate employees for various tasks, since staff does not need to constantly file and look for patients’ medical charts. Since August of 2003, University City Family Medicine has continuously screened patients for preventive health care services such as mammography, immunization, and diabetes control using the OutPatient Rapid Assessment, a tool provided by their QIO, Quality Insights of Pennsylvania. North Willow Grove, a three-physician family practice outside of Philadelphia asked Quality Insights of Pennsylvania, the state’s QIO, for assistance with e-prescribing, health management, and reporting data. The new technology has helped the office streamline processes and improve accuracy, which improves the quality of care delivered to patients. When DuBois Regional Medical Center a 239-bed facility serving patients in rural Western Pennsylvania wanted to improve care for acute heart attack (AMI) patients, it turned to the state’s QIO, Quality Insights of Pennsylvania, to help implement system change. Of patients entering the ER with AMI, 62% received appropriate care within 120 minutes in fiscal year (FY) 2004 -- by the 1st quarter of FY 2006, 100% of patients received such care. Quality Insights of Pennsylvania, the state’s QIO, is assisting Lancaster General Hospital in Lancaster improve surgical infection rates. The number of patients who received timely antibiotics (within 60 minutes of incision) rose to 96% in March 2005 from 83% in July 2004. Timely discontinuation of antibiotics rose from 22% to 70% in the same time period.

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