CONTACT:
Emilie Fennell
Director, Communications and External Relations
512-334-1649
Emilie.Fennell@tmf.org
1-800-725-9216
Austin, Texas – Nov. 12, 2019 –TMF Health Quality Institute features four health care quality improvement efforts in the latest issues of the Quality Improvement (QI) Snapshots series.
Sepsis is the body’s overwhelming and life-threatening response to an infection that can lead to tissue damage, organ failure and death. The snapshot on Improving Knowledge in Early Identification of Sepsis in Texas Nursing Homes (2017-2019) highlights the outcomes and successes of a three-pronged approach to maximize the number of nursing home staff educated on early identification of sepsis.
The Improving Outcomes for Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD): Use of the COPD Rescue Pack snapshot provides an overview of a two-year project that worked to empower patients to use a COPD Rescue Pack when experiencing a COPD exacerbation. This snapshot highlights the impact of using this standardized approach to manage COPD.
Poor oral health affects overall health, increasing the risk of pneumonia and other conditions, particularly among older adults living in nursing homes. This Oral Health Improvement in Nursing Homes snapshot describes an intervention that included creating statewide oral health older adult advisory workgroups and developing a nursing home oral health promotion toolkit and education curriculum.
The Project ECHO: Impacting Depression and Alcohol Use snapshot discusses a TMF project focused on improving the treatment of depression and alcohol use disorder and integrating behavioral health into primary care through the Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) and the Mental Health Integration model. This issue describes the methodology and outcomes of this QI effort.
The TMF Innovation Team, led by Russell Kohl, MD, uses expert industry knowledge to publish QI Snapshots, white papers, blog posts and other publications focused on timely issues faced by QI organizations, providers and other stakeholders. The team invites members of the QI community to access these snapshots, as well as other resources, on the TMF QI Exchange.
About TMF Health Quality Institute
TMF Health Quality Institute focuses on improving lives by improving the quality of health care through contracts with federal, state and local governments, as well as private organizations. For more than 40 years, TMF has helped health care providers and practitioners in a variety of settings improve care for their patients.