MELVILLE, N.Y., March 27, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a thought leadership series that provides five steps for transforming a hospital's OR in the age of health care reform, North American Partners in Anesthesia (NAPA) today released NAPABriefs 3 and 4 in the series. The Briefs outline the critical importance of an ongoing system of quality improvement and understanding the challenges, impact and solutions for public reporting. The first two briefs were released last week, and the series will culminate with the release of the last two next week, for a total of 6.
"When CMS began the Inpatient Quality Reporting Program in 2004, there were 10 measures; today there are 72 measures," said Michael B. Simon, MD, Regional Director of NAPA and a co-author of the series. "Hospitals must report these measures to receive their full annual payment increase, so it's never been more critical for hospitals to have the structures and processes in place for constant quality improvement, data capture and analytics."
NAPABrief 3 focuses on delivering the highest clinical quality care across the perioperative spectrum where real-time data collection, benchmarking and robust analytics are essential. Entitled "Aligning Your Hospital and Anesthesia Practice for Perioperative Quality Improvement," the brief outlines the need for hospitals to have a culture of continuous quality improvement, supported by a research infrastructure to mine for best practices, trends, and opportunities, track individual and hospital-wide metrics, and benchmark against industry peers.
NAPABrief 4 delves into public reporting and examines how a multitude of reporting entities have turned patients into empowered consumers, directly impacting hospital compensation. From IQRP and SCIP scores to NCQA and ratings from insurers, hospitals are grappling with substantial reporting requirements and systemic challenges. "Aligning Your Hospital and Anesthesia Group for Public Reporting" makes the case for every hospital to achieve alignment across the many stakeholders monitoring hospital quality.
The first step in the five-step strategy, released last week, focused on aligning the OR for efficiency and effectiveness through physician leadership and accountability. It outlined a structure for better utilization, more on-time starts, expanded services, lower staff and supply costs, reduced subsidies, lower length of stay and better outcomes. The final two Briefs will be released next week and will cover value-based purchasing, ACO costs and quality outcomes.
For the first four NAPABriefs in the series, please go to: www.napaanesthesia.com/thought-leadership/briefs.
About North American Partners in Anesthesia
Founded in 1986, North American Partners in Anesthesia (NAPA) is the leading single specialty anesthesia management company in the United States. NAPA is comprised of the most respected clinical staff, providing thousands of patients with superior and attentive care. The company is known for partnering with hospitals and other health care facilities across the nation to provide anesthesia services and perioperative leadership that maximize operating room performance, enhance revenue, and demonstrate consistent patient and surgeon satisfaction ratings. For more information, please visit www.NAPAanesthesia.com.
For more information, contact:
Jill Aaronson
516.945.3030
Chris Cooney
407.921.6932
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