CRMC was one of more than 30 healthcare organizations from across the nation selected to present at the conference. Presenting organizations had recently achieved outstanding healthcare results—including improved employee engagement, enhanced physician integration, reduced patient readmissions, increased patient safety and improved quality.
More than 1,400 healthcare professionals from 385 different organizations representing five countries attended the conference, which took place Oct. 10-12 in Nashville, TN. Cheyenne Regional was the only hospital from the Rocky Mountain region to present at the conference.
Cheyenne Regional started a patient call-back program in June 2011 that was highlighted in one of the conference’s breakout sessions. The program ensures that every Cheyenne Regional patient is called by a registered nurse within 24 to 48 hours of being discharged from the hospital or after receiving care as an outpatient or in the emergency department (ED).
“Several lives have been saved because our nurses followed up with phone calls,” said Cheryl Crumpton, Cheyenne Regional’s nursing system administrator for the call-back program. “Through our call-backs, we determined that some patients had complications that required immediate attention,” Crumpton said.
At the Studer Group conference, Crumpton presented how call-backs have improved Cheyenne Regional’s quality of care and patient satisfaction.
“Nationwide, nearly one out of five patients discharged from a hospital has an adverse event related to not understanding the details of that patient’s discharge instructions,” Crumpton said.
Another major concern is that about half of all patients in the United States make at least one potentially harmful error taking their medications after discharge.
“Calling patients within 24 to 48 hours of leaving the hospital allows us to follow up on how they are doing—to ensure they understand the discharge instructions they were given and to answer any questions. It’s one more way we can ensure safe, quality care for our patients,” Crumpton said.
Over the past year, the 30-day inpatient readmission rate at Cheyenne Regional has dropped from about 13 percent to between 9 and 11 percent. “We believe part of this reduction is due to the call-back program,” said Crumpton. “This shows that we are helping people make a smoother and safer transition from hospital to home.”
At Cheyenne Regional, 23 inpatient and outpatient units have implemented the call-back program.
From October 2011 through August 2012, more than 16,500 calls were placed to patients who had been admitted to the hospital or were cared for as outpatients. More than 27,000 calls were made to patients treated in Cheyenne Regional’s ED.
About three-fourths of calls placed to inpatients and outpatients were completed. About half of calls to patients treated in the ED were completed.
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