Network delivers a Check Up
The Diagnosis
Through its membership in the group purchasing organization, HealthTrust, a prominent Arizona medical center has been a Network Distribution customer for almost a decade. The strong alliance between a national GPO and a flexible distribution partner like Network offers this large acute care facility a broad portfolio of products at industry-leading pricing and additional benefits.
For decades, the staff of the medical center has provided patients the finest care, frequently ranking among the nation’s “100 Top Hospitals.” At the same time, the facility has been impacted by a major healthcare reform, pressuring facility leadership to provide high quality care within a shrinking budget.
Already running lean, identifying further opportunities to reduce expenses in the Environmental Services department would require a fresh perspective.
The Treatment Plan
The medical center enlisted the support of their local Network specialist to participate in Healthy Measures®. Offered exclusively by Network, the program is designed to improve patient and business outcomes through implementing best practices in environmental hygiene. In a three-step process, hospital staff work with a representative to evaluate current procedures in the facility. From a critical look at the cleaning process to the products being used, the potential improvements can lead to a significant reduction in operational expenses, improved patient satisfaction and a lower incidence of healthcare acquired infections.
To begin, representatives from infection prevention, environmental services and materials management at the medical center participated in an interview which identified top-of-mind issues in creating a healthier environment. Ultimately, the conversation uncovered shared priorities and common goals among the group. Step two of the program evaluated the process of cleaning and overall effectiveness of product and application methods. A proprietary scoring system of current practices established a baseline from which the team could improve upon. These findings allowed the Network specialist to craft recommendations for improvement, labor reduction, and cost controls.
A Healthy Prognosis
The facility identified five action items in their plan, and within six months patient satisfaction scores increased 11% and operating costs related to janitorial services began to decline. The positive results were reported to executive staff and received enthusiastic endorsement.
Nine months into the program the team had implemented 75% of their action items and requested a second assessment. The second evaluation reflected a 16% improvement in the facility’s Healthy Measures score and helped the team identify four new action items to add to the plan.
11%
HCAHPS scores increase
The staff has been pleased with the progress they’ve made utilizing Healthy Measures and with Network’s support, they’re eager to continue on their path to improved patient and business outcomes.
Once we started executing our Healthy Measures joint action plan in addition to realizing a significant cost savings, our patient satisfaction scores improved. Network’s proprietary program helped us understand that the advantages of instituting best practices in surface cleaning and hand hygiene go beyond reducing costs.”
