Leveraging Executive Support and a Strong Decision Support System to Improve Quality

• 13 May 2009

Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, Ark., uses clinical performance improvement solutions to differentiate itself based on excellence in quality of care.

As the sole not-for-profit healthcare system in one of the fastest growing communities in Arkansas, Washington Regional Medical Center wanted to differentiate itself based on excellence in quality of care. To stay ahead in its highly competitive local market, the hospital's strategy centered on taking an accelerated, proactive approach to quality and cost effectiveness.

Washington Regional needed excellent data and decision support tools to realize this goal. It was also essential to leverage the support of the organization's executives and clinical leaders.

Key physician-driven task forces and hospital staff used Thomson Healthcare clinical performance improvement solutions to review data, assess performance, and select improvement priorities. These tools were chosen because they met two critical requirements: They provided a robust decision support system, supplying detailed information on a service-line level, and they used methodologies with a national reputation for credibility.