Ohio Children's Hospital Association Announces Results of First-Of-Its-Kind Quality Collaboration Aimed at Saving Children's Lives

The Ohio Childrens Hospital Association (OCHA) and its six member hospitals Akron Childrens Hospital; Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center; Dayton Childrens Medical Center; Nationwide Childrens Hospital, Columbus; Rainbow Babies & Childrens Hospital, Cleveland; and Toledo Childrens Hospital announced today groundbreaking results of a first-of-its-kind collaboration to improve quality in childrens hospitals.

OCHA and its six member hospitals created the Ohio Childrens Hospital Associations Quality Improvement Collaborative in 2006 to promote improved quality of care at childrens hospitals. In its first initiative, the Collaborative focused on reducing preventable codes, or cardiac and pulmonary arrests, occurring outside of the neonatal and pediatric Intensive Care Units. As a result of its efforts, the Collaborative identified a medical protocol called a Rapid Response Team that, when implemented, reduced incidences of preventable codes by more than 20 percent.

To our knowledge, this is the first time in the nation that a statewide network of childrens hospitals has come together to focus on quality improvement to save childrens lives, said David Kinsaul, President and CEO, Dayton Childrens Medical Center and Chairman of OCHA. While each of our individual hospitals is a leader in quality innovation, we are truly leading the nation in this type of collective effort and it is having a dramatic impact improving the lives of children, as evidenced by the results.

Each participating hospital adapted a Rapid Response Team model to fit within its own patient care environment and culture. Bedside caregivers at participating hospitals were empowered to quickly harness the expertise of this multidisciplinary Rapid Response Team when the caregiver determined that immediate intervention was warranted. Further, some hospitals created a process that enabled patient families to call upon the Rapid Response Team when they felt their child was in need of assessment. 

In addition to the tangible achievement of preventing life-threatening situations for patients, the Collaboratives efforts also realized several additional benefits for the childrens hospitals, their clinicians and the patients families, including:

-Increased customer satisfaction;
-Improved cooperative efforts, internal communication and accountability among hospital staff;
-Identification of areas to improve the Rapid Response Team model moving forward; and
-A culture change at the institutions that helped empower care givers that are at the bedside treating the patients every day.

While this particular initiative has made solid, tangible improvements to date it is only the beginning of an exciting journey, said Kinsaul. There is strong, unanimous support for continuing the Collaboratives efforts including continuing the Rapid Response Team initiative with the goal of increasing its success and identifying new areas and where we can improve quality.

Kinsaul said Ohios childrens hospitals will continue to work together to improve operating efficiencies and effectiveness to remain outcome-oriented, national leaders delivering high quality pediatric hospital care.

Ohio childrens hospitals are a source of great pride for our state, Ohio Senate President Bill Harris (R-Ashland) said. We are so fortunate that between the work of these six outstanding institutions, a child can get the care they need within a two-hour drive of their homes and can be served by a team of doctors, nurses and administrators who are both leaders in their fields and committed to providing the highest quality of care possible.

The Ohio Childrens Hospital Association and member hospitals should be commended for their efforts in leading the way in healthcare quality improvement, said Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted (R-Kettering). I look forward to continuing our work together to protect the health and well-being of Ohios children.

The Ohio Childrens Hospital Association contracted with the Ohio Hospital Association and Applied Health Services to coordinate the administrative functions of the study.

The Ohio Childrens Hospital Association is the voice of Ohios youngest patients, their families and health care providers. Ohios six member hospitals are dedicated to saving, protecting and enhancing childrens lives. They ensure that all three million Ohio children receive the care they need and treat children from all 88 counties in Ohio, regardless of ability to pay.