In 2004, the Providence Center for Outcomes Research and Education (CORE) focused on four key Providence Health & Services priorities: service excellence, quality and patient safety, employer-of-choice initiatives, and operational excellence. Among our accomplishments in these areas were the following:
CORE’s clinical information Web site was expanded to include continually updated information on Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMMS) quality indicators, core measures and national patient safety goals from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), acute myocardial infarction outcomes, and other measures of operational efficiency and safety.
The Providence Health & Services Six Sigma initiative received significant support from CORE staff members, who served on project teams and provided general analytical support.
Monthly reports of customer satisfaction kept service excellence teams across the region informed of progress within service areas, facilities and departments.
An automated system for reporting “unusual occurrences,” including events with the potential for patient harm, was developed and implemented statewide.
Employee surveys provided the performance feedback and diagnostic tools for managers to successfully retain and challenge the substantial talent within our region.
While the above priorities were our primary focus, CORE also continued to support regional efforts to improve Providence’s nationally recognized end-of-life care programs and services. CORE also supported the development of the Oregon region’s Nursing Center of Excellence by providing quality measurement services, support for Magnet Nursing status, and performance reporting for Nursing Improving the Care of the Hospitalized Elderly (NICHE), and by participating in other improvement projects.
CORE completed its two largest grant-funded projects to date: a study of tobacco cessation in primary care, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the development of an Oregon Stroke Registry, funded by the Centers for Disease Control. Both of these nationally recognized efforts have been featured in peer-reviewed publications. In different ways, both projects demonstrated the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of centrally coordinated but locally implemented efforts to collect data and provide feedback on quality. Both also demonstrated that this approach can lead to real improvements in care.
Finally, we helped to build an Oregon research collaborative focused on the needs of the Medicaid population and the uninsured. CORE launched a groundbreaking longitudinal panel study that will provide needed information on the impact of insurance changes on low-income groups in Oregon. This study already is helping to shape public policy for the poor and vulnerable in Oregon, a focus at the heart of the Mission of Providence Health & Services.
