Healthcare Quality News

In an article, the New York times examines how Salt Lake City, Utah–based Intermountain Healthcare has improved outcomes by standardizing care using internal, evidence-based protocols.

According to the article, the 23-hospital system has developed protocols for about 50 clinical conditions, with results including lower-than-average readmission rates for heart failure and pneumonia patients and reduced numbers of pre-term deliveries, which has, in turn, reduced the number of babies who must spend time in NICUs. Intermountain also has cut the mortality rate for coronary-bypass surgery procedures—which is about 3% nationally—to 1.5%, among other improvements.

(SOURCES: Advisory Board Daily Briefing, http://advisory.com, November 9, 2009; New York Times, http://nytimes.com, accessed November 23, 2009)