National Quality Strategy

“The ScionHealth National Quality Strategy is comprehensive, measurable, and challenging,” said Dr. Dean French, Chief Medical Officer at ScionHealth. “More importantly, this program is already making a meaningful difference for patients at our hospitals. We believe this blueprint for hospital quality will continue to drive improvements and best practices that elevate our care and make ScionHealth hospitals high-reliability providers and the preferred providers in the communities they serve.”

ScionHealth established its National Quality Strategy (NQS) in 2023 to help its community and long-term acute care (or “specialty”) hospitals become high-reliability providers. The program provides a structured approach that empowers our hospitals to continuously improve patient care, safety, and satisfaction. The initiative encourages process improvements, the cultivation of a speak-up culture, and a relentless focus on safety.

The NQS measures and promotes hospital quality over the six domains of healthcare quality established by the Institute of Medicine. Each domain features a mix of clinical metrics and best practices tied to clinical protocols, training, and leadership. The more a hospital succeeds in each category, the more likely it will achieve better results in terms of patient safety, outcomes, and experiences. Here is a brief overview of each domain, including the some of the hospital metrics that are scored.

Effective

The hospital provides evidence-based care to all who could benefit and refrains from providing services to those not likely to benefit, avoiding both underuse and misuse. Key ScionHealth metrics include success in combating sepsis; sepsis prevention training; appropriate blood utilization; and observed/expected mortality.

Efficient

Through strong teamwork and open communication, the hospital reduces waste and allows time and resources to be optimized toward effective patient care. Key ScionHealth metrics include length-of-stay measures, antibiotic stewardship efforts, and lower readmission rates.

Equitable

The hospital’s patients should have the opportunity to achieve their highest health potential, regardless of socially determined circumstances. Key ScionHealth metrics include initiatives and progress in addressing healthcare disparities.

Patient-Centered

The hospital’s patients are its top priority. The hospital cares for their physical comfort and emotional well-being and respects patient and family preferences and values. By involving patients and families in care-plan development, the hospital improves healing and recovery. Key ScionHealth metrics include patient experience survey results (administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) and effective implementation of foundational behaviors to drive patient safety (bedside shift reports, rounding best practices, and more).

Safe

By approaching patient safety initiatives holistically and systemically, the hospital strives to make safe care ordinary and routine. Key ScionHealth metrics include assessment of areas of harm reduction such as preventing or reducing falls, central line-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, and C. difficile (a colon infection); and improving safety event reporting.

Timely

Timeliness of care is a crucial aspect of improving patient outcomes. By accurately assessing and appropriately addressing the urgency of care, the hospital strives to reduce harmful delays and minimize waste. Key ScionHealth metrics include improving Emergency Department throughput and primary care access; meeting medical consultation timeframe expectations; and making timely wound care assessments, nurse skin assessments, and stat imaging.

In July 2024, ScionHealth announced that three of its 92 hospitals earned the highest overall scores in the inaugural (2023) year of the National Quality Strategy. The “Platinum Award” winners were Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center, a community hospital located in Hartsville, South Carolina; Kindred Hospital Clear Lake, a specialty hospital located in Webster, Texas; and Palestine Regional Medical Center, a community hospital located in Palestine, Texas.