Excellence in Care:  Partnerships for Better Outcomes

Purpose:  Achieving excellence in care requires a unified, unrelenting focus on clinical care and services.  Our organization, which includes six home care offices and three hospices, identified key partnerships to improve the outcomes for our ostomy patients.

Objectives:  We set out to define the methods needed to attain clinical excellence and define a plan based on patient-centered relations for our ostomy patient population.  Some of the methods used were a self-study guide for clinician deployment, a streamlined product formulary, an evidence-based policy and procedure manual, and clinician education with regular competency testing.

In addition, we were focused on providing a caring experience for our clients based on our organizational mission.  This was accomplished through improved patient education, development of a patient teaching guide, a discharge to community program, and a continuum of care program* that provided products, education and follow-up for the patient. 

Outcomes:  Through a successful partnership and a defined plan, we were able to document a reduction in our visits per episode by 25% and improvement in our financial outcomes by 30%. In addition, we demonstrated increased patient satisfaction through the selection of the correct pouching system and improved client education. 

Conclusion:  Our documented outcomes would have been difficult to achieve without a successful partnership.  This collaboration created a seamless transition from home care to community for our ostomy patients. 

Financial Disclosure/Assistance:  We gratefully acknowledge the support of Hollister Incorporated.

* Secure Start Program, Hollister Incorporated