Balancing rigor and efficiency when it comes to risk assessment
2 minute read
Balancing rigor and efficiency when it comes to risk assessment
< 1 minute read
Lodi Memorial simplified BOOST’s risk assessment tool to meet the specific needs of their hospital and patients.
The Issue
When implementing Project BOOST, we were provided with key intervention tools. The BOOST tools are comprehensive and include many details. Some of the tools were too detailed to work effectively at our hospital, considering our process and staff responsibilities.
Background
Lodi Memorial is a non-profit hospital in Lodi, CA. It has 190 beds and serves patients across 5 different counties (including rural areas). 45% of its patients are on Medicare. Their transitions program began in 2011 and is influenced by Project BOOST.
What We Tried
Our BOOST physician mentor encouraged us to use the BOOST materials as a starting point and then revise them to fit the needs. Our Readmission Prevention Task Force felt that the BOOST High Risk Assessment Tool needed to be simplified so staff could use it to quickly identify a high-risk patient. We needed it to be very user friendly—plus, simple forms are easier to integrate into our EMR. We kept simplifying it until it was the right balance of effectiveness and usability. Then we incorporated it into our EMR.
Impact
The revised high-risk assessment tool led to more consistent completion. It is also easily accessible in the EMR. When we have a readmission, we check to see whether the patient was originally identified as high risk. We periodically re-evaluate the tool to insure that it is effectively identifying patients that are at high risk for readmission.
Additional Benefits
We learned to think creatively, out of the box, and to tailor new processes to what works for our culture.
Tips
Strongly recommend that a new tool be trialed, re-evaluated, and revised for effectiveness, as needed.
Organizational Background
Organization Name: Lodi Memorial Hospital
Location: Lodi Memorial Hospital, South Fairmont Avenue, Lodi, CA, United States
Organization Type: Hospital