SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-Improving Mortality Outcomes: A Data-Driven, Hospitalist-Led Approach to Enhance Quality and Rankings

Improving Mortality Outcomes: A Data-Driven, Hospitalist-Led Approach to Enhance Quality and Rankings

Pdf Summary

The hospitalist-led Mortality Review Team at Duke University Hospital used a data-driven, multi-pronged strategy to improve mortality outcomes and hospital rankings. Because mortality is a major quality metric affecting reimbursement, CMS ratings, and USNWR/Vizient rankings, the team focused on both observed mortality and expected mortality within the mortality index.<br /><br />Key interventions included standardized History & Physical and Discharge Summary templates with automated prompts to improve documentation, plus tools to better capture mortality risk factors. On the operational side, the team expanded a hospitalist-led Patient Response team to intervene earlier during patient decompensation and created a hospitalist-led Hospice and Comfort Care Team to improve end-of-life care, including increasing inpatient hospice conversions.<br /><br />The result was a 36% reduction in the Hospital Medicine mortality index from FY20 to FY24. This improvement translated into better patient outcomes and contributed to Duke University Hospital’s return to the USNWR Top Hospitals rankings in July 2024.

Asset Subtitle

Noppon P. Setji

Meta Tag

Author List Michelle Perkons, Noppon P. Setji, Stephen Telloni, Yvonne Acker

Category Innovations

Concept Mortality Review Team

Concept Observed Mortality

Concept Expected Mortality

Concept Inpatient Mortality Metrics

Concept Hospitalist

Distinguished Finalist

Presenter Organization Duke University Hospital

Presenting Author Noppon P. Setji

Track Quality Improvement

Keywords

mortality review

hospitalist-led team

Duke University Hospital

mortality index

quality metrics

documentation templates

patient response team

hospice care

hospital rankings

patient outcomes

Mortality Review Team

Observed Mortality

Expected Mortality

Inpatient Mortality Metrics

Hospitalist