Health systems are constantly evolving ecosystems. New patients arrive, order sets change, technology progresses and processes are tweaked to increase safety and efficiency. The continuous advancement within a hospital is best summarized by the great philosopher Heraclitus who said, “change is the only constant in life.”
And that’s exactly how Dr. Angela Hodges, PharmD, RPH, LSSYB, BC-ADM kicked off the recent Becker’s Hospital Review webinar we co-hosted that explored glycemic change management in the ICU.
Dr. Hodges represents Texas Health Huguley Hospital, part of Advent Health, a 291-bed facility located on the edge of Fort Worth, Texas. The health system is a joint venture between Texas Health Resources and Advent Health and received a CMS 5-STAR designation in 2021. Texas Health Huguley Hospital is a leader in glycemic management and the only acute care setting in Tarrant County with a Joint Commission Advanced Inpatient Diabetes certification.
Best-in-Class Glycemic Management Programs Driven by Pharmacists
While all best-in-class glycemic management programs have similarities, there is no one-size-fits-all roadmap. Instead, hospitals need to execute, adapt and improve based on their own ongoing changes and needs.
During our conversation, Dr. Hodges provided a deep dive into the history of Texas Health Huguley Hospital’s glycemic program and how it drives continuous improvement to enhance patient safety and provider workflows. During the webinar, Dr. Hodges explained how a pharmacy-led initiative helped her hospital manage practice change in the ICU with some impressive results.
Here are four key takeaways from the webinar:
The success Texas Health Huguley Hospital has realized during their glycemic practice change speaks for itself. Data showed that providers were getting patients into range within six hours using Glucommander IV at a greater than 80% rate. Additionally, before the process change, nurses entered data 85% of the time to get insulin infusions started. After the changes? Pharmacists accounted for 74% of these initiations, doctors and advanced practitioners combined for 22% and nurses just 4%.
The proper collaboration enabled Dr. Hodges and her teammates to bring efficiency to the glycemic management processes with evidence-based tactics that allowed physicians to focus on other important clinical factors.
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