Accenture supports Unified Clinical Organization to improve care coordination, patient outcomes

AccentureMar 6 2013

The Unified Clinical Organization (UCO), an innovative care improvement model from Trinity Health, is improving care coordination, patient outcomes and advancing standardization of care practices with support from Accenture (ACN). As a result, for one example, a new care model for sepsis patients has helped Trinity Health save $17 million in annual costs related to sepsis care and reduced patient mortality from sepsis by almost 20 percent, according to information Accenture released today at HIMMS Annual Conference & Exhibition (HIMSS). These and other achievements of the UCO are helping Trinity Health reduce healthcare costs while increasing care quality and making it possible to expand access to more people.

“We consider (the creation of our Unified Clinical Organization) a real breakthrough in our ability to deliver consistent, top quality care to every patient, every time, in every Trinity Health location”

"We consider (the creation of our Unified Clinical Organization) a real breakthrough in our ability to deliver consistent, top quality care to every patient, every time, in every Trinity Health location," said Paul Conlon, Senior Vice President of Clinical Quality and Patient Safety. "We are proud of the innovation and accountability of our clinician-led teams and their ability to apply industrial strength analytic and change management tools to advance our core mission - to improve the health of our communities and to steward the resources entrusted to us."

Trinity Health worked with Accenture to identify system-wide opportunities for improving clinical and disease management outcomes across their 49 hospitals and involving over 10,000 clinicians. As part of a three-year initiative, Trinity Health established the UCO, a unique operating model to establish highly effective, reliable clinical practices, including medication reconciliation, patient safety protocols and standard care models for specific acute care scenarios, such as sepsis and heart failure.

Since its introduction, the model has produced significant improvements in patient safety and operational efficiencies enabled by technology enhancements. Working collaboratively across the enterprise, the Trinity Health clinician team efforts have resulted in many quality and safety improvements, including, but not limited to:

• Streamlined processes for medication reconciliation resulted in a 20 percent improvement in composite medication reconciliation and a 62 percent improvement in medication reconciliation completion for admitted patients. There was also a five percent reduction in adverse drug events.
• An 18 percent reduction in mortality rates with over 400 lives saved due to proactive management of care for patients with sepsis using evidence-based clinical protocols.
• Reduced likelihood of inpatient falls by enhanced documentation of patient fall risk, 'real time' assessments and by implementing targeted interventions to prevent falls.