WSHA Hospital Safety & Quality Priorities: Historical Programs
The WSHA Safety & Quality team is a trusted and collaborative partner supporting Washington hospitals on several key quality and patient safety improvement programs. Historically, WSHA’s initiatives have aligned to support federal programs and support hospitals in achieving national patient safety aims such as:
- Hospital Engagement Network (HEN) and Hospital Improvement Innovation (HIIN)
- The Joint Commission Sentinel Events (CAMLAB_19_SE (jointcommission.org)
- Center for Medicare Services (CMS) Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program | CMS
- National Quality Forum (NQF) endorsed ’27 Serious Reportable Events’ NQF: List of SREs (qualityforum.org)
When a program achieves milestones, objectives and industry standards of care that are widely adopted in our hospitals, our WSHA Board re-evaluates and re-prioritizes these initiatives. If a program has been successful in reducing patient harm, improving, and sustaining clinical quality outcomes in our hospitals, it may be considered ‘historical’ and no longer a key priority topic area. The Safety & Quality team recognizes that tools, resources, and access to materials for these historical programs and are still valuable to our members.
Hospitals have an opportunity to grant the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) access to their near real-time visit data through a Department of Health program called RHINO. There is no cost or reporting necessary. Hospitals are already required to report their data to the Department of Health. WSHA will use the data to advocate for and support members with safety and quality improvement efforts and surveillance events (COVID-19, flu, etc.).
The Rapid Health Information NetwOrk (RHINO) is a Department of Health program which collects real-time, population-based healthcare visit data from hospitals and clinics across the state. All of Washington State’s emergency departments are required to participate in syndromic surveillance reporting and 97% also report inpatient data. Many hospitals voluntarily report outpatient, specialty, urgent care and primary care data. Oregon, Alaska, and other states collect the same information using the same tool.
RHINO will enhance the patient safety and quality work that WSHA does on behalf of its members through:
- Access to near real-time data
- Faster insight to evaluate process improvement initiatives
- Access to the medical record including chief complaint, admit reason, triage notes, temperature, demographics etc.
- Continuum of care from Primary Care, ED, IP, OP
- Strengthen information gathered from other sources
- Notification of emergent events such as COVID-19, flu, measles, hepatitis, overdose, behavioral health, vaping, severe weather, wildfire, acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), food poisoning etc. to support hospital resource allocation and situational awareness
- Historical as well as emergent data on safety and quality initiatives such as, sepsis, readmissions, substance use, etc.
- Comparative insights at the facility, regional and state level
Getting Started
To grant WSHA access to record-level data, sign the Data Sharing Agreement with the State of Washington Department of Health by August 31, 2020. There is no cost or additional reporting necessary. Hospitals are already required to report their data to the Department of Health.
Data Sharing Agreement (DSA) Instructions
RHINO Webinar Recording from 6/16/2020.
(You will be asked to “register” before you can view the recording)
Please reach out to Matt Shevrin or Miriam Bright for questions and details.
