Achieving Zero Harm: How WellSpan Health’s Tiered Safety System Prioritizes Patient Well-Being | AHA

Welcome to Advancing Health! WellSpan Health is a large healthcare system with nine hospitals, mainly serving south central Pennsylvania. With 23,000 employees, they care for over 1.5 million patients every year, always aiming for zero patient harm. In this episode, we’ll talk about the daily huddles at WellSpan that enhance patient care. These huddles include not just clinical teams but also safety personnel and cleaning staff.

Your host is Dr. Chris DeRienzo, Chief Physician Executive at the American Hospital Association, who is visiting WellSpan Health this week. He’s joined by Dr. Carlos Roberts, a urogynecologist and Chief Medical Officer for the Women and Children Service Line. Carlos shares insights about their huddle system, designed to improve safety for both patients and staff.

About three and a half years ago, WellSpan started these safety huddles. The aim is simple: to work towards zero harm for everyone in the system. The huddles have a tiered structure that helps identify problems or areas for improvement quickly, giving all team members a voice in the process.

The huddle system has six tiers. The first level, Tier One, happens where the care is provided, involving front-line staff and providers. They focus on identifying safety concerns or process improvements, which then get raised to Tier Two, where managers of specific areas take part. If issues still need addressing, they move to Tier Three, including operational directors. Each level works collaboratively to build solutions.

Tier Four consists of vice presidents representing various service lines. They share insights from the previous huddles to identify ongoing challenges or success stories. As explained, these huddles start early in the morning, which allows for timely communication across the entire health system.

From Tier Four, participants move to Tier Five, where senior leaders share important insights with even higher-level executives in Tier Six. This quick escalation means that any significant event can be addressed almost immediately—often by the next meeting.

Celebrating successes is a crucial part of this process. Each huddle opens with a reminder of their shared goal: striving for zero harm for patients and team members. Team members are encouraged to share both challenges and achievements. This culture not only fosters improvement but also promotes morale among the staff.

Cleaning staff, security teams, and other non-clinical areas participate in their own huddles. By framing their roles around patient safety—like reducing infections through cleaning—they contribute to the overarching goal of quality care.

In conversation, Dr. DeRienzo noted the importance of recognizing victories along with challenges. Celebrating wins boosts team spirit and reinforces the commitment to high-quality care.

As Dr. Roberts expertly summarized, the key to a reliable healthcare system is focusing on creating the best patient experiences and outcomes. This commitment unites all members of the team in delivering quality care.

Overall, WellSpan exemplifies a patient-centered approach in the healthcare landscape. The insights from these huddles reflect a united effort to improve while celebrating the hard work of every team member.

Source link