Health and Medical Administration Commons^™

Benefit Of Report Card Feedback After Point-Of-Care Assessment Of Communication Quality Indicators, Michael H. Farrell, Clair R. Sprenger, Shelbie L. Sullivan, Bree A. Trisler, Jessica J.F. Kram, Erin K. Ruppel

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Background: Communication in health care is crucial for patient experience and biomedical outcomes, but problems with communication are often seen in health care. Training can improve communication, but skills must be reinforced after graduation to remain improved. Since educational methods are too resource intensive for sustained use throughout the Aurora Health Care system, it is necessary to develop affordable, quantitative methods. The first author has developed necessary techniques, including behavior-specific measures called communication quality indicators.

Purpose: To demonstrate secure audio recording in an outpatient visit and to use communication quality indicators with a heterogenous set of patient-clinician conversations.

Methods: Thirty …

Effect Of Code Status Handout On Resident Physician Comfort During The Admission Process, Krystina Pischke, Jessica Schmid, Jessica J.F. Kram, Dennis J. Baumgardner

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Background: Discussing code status can be a difficult part of the admission process, especially for residents. There have been various research studies looking at interventions to improve end-of-life discussions. However, these studies have focused on well-acquainted physicians and patients. With increasing use of hospitalists for inpatient care, there is increased need for improving code status discussions at admission.

Purpose: To determine if an easy-to-use handout would improve resident comfort with the code status discussion.

Methods: Following a literature search on how to discuss advance directives and end-of-life care, a code status handout was developed. The handout, written at fifth-grade reading …

Are There Advantages To Hiring In-House Training Program Graduates?, Jessica J.F. Kram, Dennis J. Baumgardner

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Background: Several studies have compared international graduates on measures of performance, quality and satisfaction. No studies have compared internally versus externally hired graduates in relation to these measures.

Purpose: To identify if there is a difference in hiring patterns and care management (CM)/patient satisfaction (PS) scores between internal and external graduate hires.

Methods: We conducted a quality improvement study on graduates hired by Aurora Health Care from Jan. 1, 2006, to Dec. 14, 2015. CM scores were determined based on hire date. PS scores were calculated based on the calendar year, regardless of exact hire date. PS scales for scoring …

Reform Has Only Just Begun, Nick Turkal

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

The head of a major Midwestern health care system outlines the long road facing the industry in terms of overhauling its infrastructure from volume-based to value-oriented. Quality is paramount and will require effective partnerships and an enhanced focus on consumers to achieve.

Abstracts From The 22nd Annual Health Care Systems Research Network Conference, April 13–16, 2016, Atlanta, Georgia

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

This proceedings supplement includes selected abstracts presented at the 22nd annual conference of the Health Care Systems Research Network (HCSRN), held April 13–16, 2016, in Atlanta, Georgia. The HCSRN connects the resources and capabilities of research departments from its member health care systems. Collectively, the organization represents more than 1,900 scientists and research staff from an array of disciplines such as epidemiology, economics, disparities, outcomes and quality assessment, trials and genomics.

Complexity And Chaos In Surgical Start Times, Dennis J. Baumgardner

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

In discussing an article investigating the causes for delay of first-case operating room start times included in this issue of the Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews, the editor uses elements of complexity science and chaos theory to explain that such stubborn problems rarely stem from one of a few isolated causes. Taking a whole systems approach that utilizes flexibility, cross training, enhanced communication, common sense and perhaps mathematical models is suggested to effect positive change.