California HealthCare Foundation – Supporting ideas and innovations to improve health care for all Californians.

Process Improvement

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Going Big: How Major Providers Scale Up Their Best Ideas

January 2012

Like a tree falling in the forest, health care innovations don't make a sound — until they are successfully replicated in the world. Four big providers are experimenting with how this works.

UCSF Practice Innovation Network

September 2011

A group of primary and urgent care physicians believe that computer-assisted technologies can expedite treatment of simple acute illness.

California Joint Replacement Registry

September 2011

Despite the high volume of hip and knee replacement surgeries, data on device efficacy, optimal surgical technique, and patient outcomes are lacking. A statewide, voluntary registry aims to fill these gaps.

Trendspotting: How IT Triggers Better Care in Nursing Homes

September 2011

Electronic clinical decision support tools can help nursing home staff compile data and spot trends for pressure ulcers and other dangerous, but preventable, conditions.

Small Practice eDesign

September 2011

Small medical practices often lack the resources to implement electronic practice management systems. A pilot project in Tulare County helped integrate EHRs.

Improving Care Through Design Thinking

July 27, 2011

Understanding the needs of patients can help organizations to develop meaningful solutions that translate into better care. In this webinar, hear about the Kaiser Permanente Innovation Consultancy's success with human-centered solutions.

Using Tracking Tools to Improve Patient Flow in Hospitals

April 2011

This issue brief examines technologies that are helping hospitals to expand capacity by improving their efficiency in moving patients through the stages of treatment. The analysis includes a series of short case summaries that provide examples of such systems in action.

Briefing — All-Payer Claims Databases: Lessons from Other States

March 24, 2011

This briefing considered the establishment of a central data source in California to track health care utilization and cost information, and included research of claims database models used in 13 other states.

Transforming Health Through the Patient Experience

January 27, 2011

To inspire health care professionals to improve the patient experience in their organizations, CHCF hosted a two-day conference in January in Burbank, California.

Strengthening Community Dental Practices in California

January 2011

This project supports and measures clinical productivity and financial viability improvements through practice management consulting to five community dental practices. An evaluation of outcomes is available.

Better and Faster: How Safety-Net Providers Are Redesigning Care

January 2011

Case studies describe the experiences and insights of safety-net provider organizations that have used management and process reengineering methods to provide more comprehensive and cost-efficient care.

Helping Patients Help Themselves: How to Implement Self-Management Support

December 2010

Self-management support for patients with chronic illness is a routine function of clinical care in many primary care organizations. This report describes a number of models that have been successful in involving these patients in a well-planned and efficient way.

Patient Experience in California Ambulatory Care

December 2010

Many California medical groups, IPAs, and safety-net organizations have been working on ways to improve the patient experience. The strategies and insights of a number of these ambulatory care organizations are described in this paper.

The Post-Hospital Follow-Up Visit: A Physician Checklist to Reduce Readmissions

October 2010

To help newly discharged patients avoid hospital readmission, primary care physicians seek to accomplish a great deal at the follow-up ambulatory visit. This issue brief offers a checklist to help make this important encounter most effective.

Success Under Duress: How Five Hospitals Thrive Despite Challenging Payer Mix

September 2010

Despite their challenging payer mix, a number of California’s safety-net hospitals have achieved robust financial success. To find out how, researchers conducted in-depth interviews with the leadership teams at five such institutions.

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