6 Hospital Tips to Survive Healthcare Reform

5. Collaboration:
As the old adage suggests, there is strength in numbers. As providers realize many problems are universal even though change is local, the popularity of peer-to-peer quality and cost improvement collaborative projects is increasing. The sharing of evidence-based best practices in this setting has been proven to yield positive patient outcomes and, in many cases, associated cost reductions.

6. Technology: To successfully address each of these components, there must be a mechanism in place to capture and monitor baseline and ongoing performance. QUEST participants cite three attributes that help them drive collaborative performance improvement and achieve results beyond what was possible to achieve alone.

These keys to success depend on the development of a common infrastructure—much of which can be supported by technology.

• A standardized set of common, well-defined metrics by which all participants agree to be objectively measured
• A set of clearly defined, stable targets that provide the ability to compare progress relative to peers
• The ability to share information and best practice across a collaborative

Wes Champion is senior vice president of Consulting Solutions for the Premier healthcare alliance. He may be reached at Wes_Champion@PremierInc.com.