Hospital leaders who embrace creativity and innovation are finding ways to deliver quality care while keeping costs in check in the post-reform era, according to Hospitals & Health Networks Daily.
The key to enabling innovation and creativity to improve hospital operations is getting senior leadership support, according to H&HN Daily. For example, Bassett Healthcare Network offers paid sabbatical days for its executives to spend time developing new ideas, said Connie Jastremski, RN, vice president of nursing and patient care services, during a keynote presentation at The Joint Commission's Annual Conference on Quality and Patient Safety.
As the industry turns to bundled payments, hospitals are expected to provide more (and better) services with fewer resources, says Jastremski. It's through innovation, she notes, that healthcare providers will create low-cost solutions.
Some innovations, such as executive patient safety rounds, have successfully united senior leadership with front-line hospital staff. Incorporating executive rounding led to further improvements, as more than 500 suggestions resulted in the purchase of patient safety lifts and new IV pumps throughout the hospital.
The health system also promotes open discussion as a way to get workers thinking creatively, notes H&HN Daily.
For more:
- read the H&HN Daily article
- here's info on The Joint Commission conference