2023 Together - P410 - Improving Patient Throughput With an Innovative Discharge Command Center - On Demand

Houston Methodist Hospital is one of the largest tertiary care hospitals in the nation. Bed capacity is vital to maintain high surgical volumes and keep a busy emergency department moving. On returning to normal operations as we were emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, we found that hospital length of stay (LOS) was rising, the ED was getting more crowded and operating room holds were becoming commonplace. When patients were ready to be discharged, there were delays in post-acute placement. It was a perfect storm of obstacles to smooth patient throughput, resulting in gridlock. Hospital leadership assembled a team of nurses and support staff to improve throughput by identifying barriers to patient progression throughout the patient’s stay and on the day of discharge. This intervention resulted in a 20% increase in daily discharge volumes year over year. The discharge command center enabled a proactive approach to care progression and discharge planning that improved throughput and promoted a culture shift to ensure long-term sustainability. 

Target Audience

  • Healthcare Quality Professionals
  • Nurses
  • Pharmacists
  • Pharmacy Technicians
  • Physicians
  • Other Healthcare Professionals

Learning Objectives

  • Identify  barriers to discharge and be able to describe barrier categorization.  
  • Outline effective communication strategies to remove discharge barriers. 
  • Describe staffing model and key command center processes. 
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 0.50 ACPE Pharmacist
  • 0.50 ACPE Pharmacy Technician
  • 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
  • 0.50 ANCC
  • 0.50 CPHQ – Certified Professional Healthcare Quality
  • 0.50 General CE – Attendance
  • 0.50 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE)
Course opens: 
09/07/2023
Course expires: 
09/22/2024
On Demand
United States

Faculty

Sarah Homer, RN, Nursing Director, Houston Methodist, Houston, Texas  

Hector Herrera, MBA, BSME, Operations Manager, Houston Methodist, Houston, Texas 

Disclosure

As an accredited provider of continuing education, Vizient, Inc. is dedicated to ensuring this activity presents learners with only accurate, balanced, scientifically justified recommendations, and is free from promotion, marketing, and commercial bias. In accordance with The Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, all planners, faculty, and others in control of the educational content have disclosed the absence or existence of all financial relationships (of any dollar amount) with ineligible companies within the past 24 months.
 
Ineligible companies – those companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.
 
It is Vizient’s policy that owners and employees of ineligible companies, and any individuals who refuse to disclose the absence or existence of financial relationships with any ineligible companies are disqualified from participating as planners or faculty.
 
FDA Off-Label Use
 
Faculty presenters are also expected to disclose any discussion of (1) off-label or investigational uses of FDA approved commercial products or devices or (2) products or devices not yet approved in the United States.
 
Disclosure Statements
 
Absence of Relevant Financial Relationships
 
None of the planners, faculty, or others in a position to control content for this educational activity have relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.

Accreditation Statement

In support of improving patient care, Vizient, Inc. is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
 
 

Credit Types

Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE)

This activity was planned by, and for, the healthcare team, and learners will receive 0.50 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.

 

Nurses (CNE)

Vizient, Inc. designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.50 ANCC contacts hours.

Pharmacists (CPE)

Vizient, Inc. designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.50 contact hours for Pharmacists. 

Universal Activity Number: JA0006103-0000-23-261-H04-P

Pharmacy Technicians (CPE)

Vizient, Inc. designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.50 contact hours for pharmacy technicians. 

Universal Activity Number: JA0006103-0000-23-261-H04-T

Physicians (CME)

Vizient, Inc. designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Healthcare Quality Professionals (CPHQ)

This activity is approved by NAHQ® for 0.50 CPHQ CE credits.

Other Healthcare Professionals (General CE Credit)

Vizient, Inc. will award a maximum of 0.50 contact hours to all other healthcare professionals who successfully complete the activity. These individuals will receive a Certificate of Participation indicating the maximum credits available.

Many state licensing boards and credentialing bodies accept certificates of participation from accredited CE activities to meet CE requirements for license renewals and re-certification. It is the responsibility of the participant to contact their state licensing board and/or certifying body for verification on credit eligibility reciprocity.

 

Available Credit

  • 0.50 ACPE Pharmacist
  • 0.50 ACPE Pharmacy Technician
  • 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
  • 0.50 ANCC
  • 0.50 CPHQ – Certified Professional Healthcare Quality
  • 0.50 General CE – Attendance
  • 0.50 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE)
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