Patient experience monitoring specialist Press Ganey has expanded its partnership with Epic, focusing on nursing safety outcomes, integrating the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) with Epic’s electronic health record platform.
The NDNQI collects more than 600 measurements from more than 2,000 organizations, allowing nursing leaders in hospitals and health systems to compare performance.
Initially, the integration will automate reporting for five key indicators: catheter-associated urinary tract infections, central bloodstream infections, inpatient falls, outpatient falls and pressure ulcers.
The collaboration aims to improve patient care by streamlining data reporting, saving time for nurse leaders and accelerating quality improvement efforts.
Additionally, through the workshop initiative, Press Ganey and Epic have facilitated customers’ joint access to patient experience insights within their workflows.
Jeff Doucette, Press Ganey’s senior vice president and chief nursing officer, shared Healthcare IT news the integration of Epic’s nurse-sensitive indicators and outcomes into the NDNQI provides significant benefits to nurses and quality leaders within healthcare provider organizations.
“First, it automates the reporting of key safety events and outcomes, reducing the workload associated with manual data entry and allowing leaders to spend more time on data analysis and improvement initiatives,” he explains.
Second, collecting timely, accurate data is a prerequisite for providing nurse leaders with evidence-based, actionable insights to further engage, coach and support their nursing staff, he added.
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT
Previously, reporting key safety outcomes, such as catheter-related urinary tract infections, central line-related bloodstream infections, falls and pressure ulcers, involved manual data extraction.
The NDNQI and Epic integration automates this process for these initial indicators, with the potential to include more in the future.
“This streamlines reporting, saves time and resources, and allows staff to focus on patient care,” Doucette said.
Additionally, access to accurate and timely data on these critical safety metrics makes it possible to identify and mitigate potential patient safety issues earlier, he noted.
THE BIG TREND
A year ago, Press Ganey announced a partnership with Epic under their workshop program to develop innovative ways to integrate the company’s platforms.
The PX Connect Suite is the first feature set to be released under that partnership. The workshop initiative, facilitated by the PX Connect Suite, represents an innovative approach to integrating patient experience data directly into electronic health records, Press Ganey argued.
“This initiative will enable healthcare organizations to gain deeper insight into patient experiences,” Doucette said.
Doctors can view patient feedback directly in their workflow, allowing them to personalize care and quickly address any issues. Additionally, the ability to identify areas that need improvement in the patient experience allows healthcare organizations to take targeted actions and improve service recovery efforts.
“Both initiatives contribute to a more holistic understanding of patient care,” he said. “By combining these insights, healthcare organizations gain a well-rounded picture, allowing them to optimize care delivery for both safety and patient satisfaction.”
Nathan Eddy is a healthcare and technology freelancer based in Berlin.
Email the writer: nathaneddy@gmail.com
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