Quality Advisor

Wishing you all a Happy Holiday season from our team to yours!

Final Call For Applications! Don't Miss Out!

WHA Quality and Patient Safety Awards - Apply by December 20

This awards program recognizes hospitals that advance and improve patient outcomes in Wisconsin. All WHA member hospitals are eligible to apply and will have the opportunity to be featured at the WHA Health Care Quality Showcase in the Capitol Rotunda in conjunction with WHA 's Advocacy Day in April 2025.

Find additional information on award eligibility, criteria, application, and more at WHA Quality and Patient Safety Awards. The application deadline is December 20, 2024, by 5pm. Award winners will be announced in early 2025.

NHSN Patient Safety Component Users: 2022 HAI Rebaseline Webinars

The National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Rebaseline Team announced new training opportunities for the 2022 Rebaseline. The SSI Complex 30-day SIR (inpatient Colon and Abdominal Hysterectomy) webinar was earlier today. The webinar was recorded and will be posted on the NHSN Rebaseline website.

Join on December 19 where the NHSN Team will present the new 2022 baseline risk adjustment models for MRSA bacteremia LabID. This webinar will discuss the methods, covariates used to calculate the Standardized Infection Ratio (SIR) using the new 2022 baseline, how to run and interpret the new SIR reports in NHSN, and highlight additional training resources. This webinar is designed to deepen your understanding of the 2022 national baseline, helping NHSN users effectively apply the updated MRSA bacteremia SIRs to HAI surveillance and prevention work in their facilities and jurisdictions.

We encourage Patient Safety Component Facility and Group users who analyze SSI and MRSA bacteremia LabID SIR data to join these webinars or view the recordings. The webinars will be recorded and posted on the NHSN Rebaseline website, in the Education & Training tab.

December 19 webinar registration information:

2022 Rebaseline Webinar for MRSA Bacteremia LabID Event SIR
Date/Time: Thursday, Dec.19, 2024, 1-2 p.m. CST
Registration link

Important Note about the Webinar: These webinars assume that the audience has a general understanding of the SIR and HAI Rebaseline concepts, including its purpose and calculation, familiarity with the concept of a baseline in healthcare surveillance data, and basic knowledge of NHSN’s Rebaseline process and how it impacts interpretation of SIR data. Prior to joining or viewing the webinar, we suggest that users review at least one of the following resources:

• An Introduction to Updating the National Baseline
• Prep Like a Pro: What to Expect from the 2022 HAI Rebaseline
• Rebaseline Fact Sheet: What is the Rebaseline and Why it is Important?
• How Will My SIR Change; Understanding the Impact of the 2022 HAI Rebaseline
• Rebaseline FAQs

AHRQ Unveils New Hospital Safety Dashboard

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) officially launched the National Action Alliance in September which later launched a new public-facing dashboard on December 5 that aggregates federal safety data.

The dashboard includes data on CMS safety measures, AHRQ's patient safety indicators, adverse events tracked by AHRQ's Quality and Safety Review System, and hospital survey data on safety culture.

Currently, the dashboard focuses exclusively on acute care hospitals, though future iterations will expand to include other settings such as ambulatory care and nursing homes.

The tool will serve as a comprehensive resource to assess patient and workforce safety trends across the industry and track improvement.

You can access the new safety National Healthcare Safety Dashboard here. You can also access WHA’s very own CheckPoint to see many of the same measures at the state level.

Share you Holiday Wish List with Us!

As our quality team explores learning opportunities and plans educational offerings for 2025, we’d love to know what's on your hospital’s holiday wish list. Please take a moment to complete this brief two-question survey.

Thank you! We appreciate your feedback.

Enhancing Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Opioid Overdose Response: WHA Surveys for Member Feedback

WHA is committed to improving access to treatment for substance use disorders and mitigating the risk of opioid overdose. We offer two key programs to support these efforts: the Wisconsin Rural Health and Substance Use Clinical Support (RHeSUS) Program and the ED Opioid Response Protocol (ORP). These programs provide vital resources, including program management, training, education, and technical assistance.

To better understand your needs and experiences in these critical areas, we kindly request that you or a designated colleague/staff member complete the following surveys.

The first is a brief Naloxone Distribution Survey, focused on the distribution of Naloxone in Emergency Departments. Your input will help us assess the current distribution practices and determine areas for improvement. Please take a moment to complete the survey. If you're not the right person to respond, kindly forward it to someone who can, such as the ED CMO or ED Manager.

The second survey is the Hospital Peer Support Utilization Survey. This anonymous survey seeks feedback on staff experiences with and perspectives on peer recovery support services for treating patients with substance use disorders or addiction. It is expected to take 5-7 minutes to complete. The survey is ideal for clinicians who work in Emergency Departments, urgent care centers, primary care settings, and other locations where peer recovery services are provided. We encourage you to share this survey across various disciplines, including Hospital Administration, MD/DO, PA/NP, Pharmacists, Psychologists, RNs, Behavioral Health Providers, Peer Support Providers, and others.

Thank you in advance for your participation and support in disseminating these important surveys. Your feedback is invaluable in shaping the future of substance use disorder treatment and overdose response programs across the state.

WHA Quality Team to Launch Podcast Series in 2025

The WHA Quality team is excited to announce its plan to launch a podcast series in 2025. Our goal is to ensure the podcast is valuable and relevant to you and we would appreciate your input.

What topics or themes would you like us to explore? Are there successful hospital quality initiatives you would like to showcase and celebrate? We would love to hear your thoughts.

Please take a few minutes to share your ideas for topics or specific questions you would like us to address in the WHA Quality Podcast. Your feedback is essential to shaping a podcast series that is informative and supports you: WHA Quality Podcast Topics of Interest Survey.

Empower Your Organization with Just Culture Training & Tools

Health care transformation starts with a Just Culture! Shift the focus from blame to accountability and system improvement. ECRI and The Just Culture Company are here to help your organization create a safer, more equitable workplace!

As part of their shared mission to improve patient safety, they are offering a 20% discount on online Just Culture training programs from December 9, 2024, to February 8, 2025. Simply use the code ECRI+TJCC20 at checkout to take advantage of this offer.

Training programs include:

• Just Culture Master Certification Course
• Just Culture Certification Course
• Just Culture for Managers and Influencers
• The Just Culture Conduct Course for Healthcare Managers and Influencers

Build trust, foster accountability, and transform your organizational culture. Learn more and enroll here.

To review the most up-to-date quality and patient safety data for Wisconsin hospitals, visit CheckPoint.