SAN ANTONIO, Texas—August 31, 2016—University of Miami Health Care, based in Miami, Florida, was today awarded a HealthTrust℠ Innovation Grant at the 2016 HealthTrust University Conference held in San Antonio, Texas. HealthTrust℠ established the annual grant two years ago to sponsor and reward new, scalable ideas for advancing healthcare by improving care delivery, health outcomes, cost savings, operational efficiency and/or population health.
The $50,000 award provides a $25,000 grant and $25,000 in HealthTrust service line expertise to support the replication of best practices across the membership. University of Miami Health Care was selected for its innovative idea to build a “Life Skills Gym” where total joint replacement patients and their recovery partners can practice typical home activities in preparation for discharge to home.
The Life Skills Gym will be part of the inpatient standard of care for total hip and knee replacement patients of the University of Miami Hospital, as well as incorporated into discharge plans for spine and orthopedic oncology patients. Improved patient functionality and confidence are the goals, but lower episode-of-care costs are also anticipated.
“Fear of not being able to perform activities of daily living, such as taking a shower or climbing stairs, is the reason many total joint patients get sent to a skilled nursing or in-patient rehabilitation facility upon discharge from the hospital,” says Michael Schlosser, M.D., chief medical officer for HealthTrust. “By improving the confidence of patients recovering at home, we expect the Life Skills Gym will reduce over-utilization of post-acute care with no negative impact on outcomes. And that’s a key objective of every hospital operating in an increasingly value-based care environment.”
University of Miami Health Care plans to use the grant funds to help construct the Life Skills Gym, including a residential-style kitchen and bed, training bathroom, car transfer simulator, L-shaped stairs, fitness equipment, WOW Computer and big-screen TV for educational demonstrations. Typically, specialized equipment of this type is found only in rehabilitation facilities, not an acute care hospital.
In addition to enabling the procurement of items for the innovative facility, HealthTrust will provide advisory support to University of Miami Health Care to better manage overall care episodes for total hip and knee replacement patients and identify evidence-based approaches to improving supply utilization. The project will also result in a best-practice toolkit available to other HealthTrust members interested in building a similar type of inpatient gym.
Results of the University of Miami Health Care initiative will be shared in HealthTrust’s member magazine, The Source. In addition, University of Miami Health Care and HealthTrust will share a progress report at next year’s HTU conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Project team members from University of Miami Health Care include orthopedic surgeons Victor Hernandez, M.D., Michaela Schneiderbauer, M.D. and Ray Robinson, M.D.; Sandra Myint, RN, executive director of Value Analysis; and Cathy Rosenberg, ARNP, assistant vice president of Neurosurgery and Orthopedics at the University of Miami Hospital.
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About HealthTrust
HealthTrust (Healthtrust Purchasing Group, L.P.) is committed to strengthening provider performance and clinical excellence through an aligned membership model and the delivery of total spend management advisory solutions that leverage our operator experience, scale and innovation. HealthTrust (www.healthtrustpg.com) serves over 1,400 acute care facilities and more than 22,600 other locations, including ambulatory surgery centers, physician practices, long-term care and alternate care sites. Headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, HealthTrust is closely integrated with Parallon Business Solutions, LLC (www.parallon.com), a leading provider of healthcare business and operational services, including revenue cycle management and technology solutions. On Twitter @healthtrustpg.
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HealthTrust
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