LOMA LINDA, CA — Using an annual web-based report scorecard that measures, evaluates and benchmarks quality and efficiency at its medical centers, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) most recent release of its Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning (SAIL) report showed 103 (71 percent) VA Medical Centers (VAMCs) have improved in overall quality compared with data from the same period a year ago.
VA Loma Linda Healthcare System (VALLHCS) was one of the facilities that made positive strides in the benchmarks and is striving to continue progress.
“This most recent SAIL analysis is a testament to the dedicated staff at VALLHCS who have effected strong improvement in several measures across domains compared to the same period a year ago,” said Randy Quinton, Interim Medical Center Director.
According to Quinton, improvements have been made in the following areas:
- Patient Experience Domain
ü The Rating of the Hospital measure based on surveys of Veterans improved, moving from the fourth to the third quintile.
- Employee Satisfaction Domain
ü The RN Turnover measure improved, moving from the fourth to the second quintile.
- Performance Measurement Domain
ü The Oryx measure improved, moving from the third to second quintile.
- Care Transitions Domain
ü The Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions (ACSC) Hospitalizations measure improved, moving from the third quintile to the second quintile.
· VHA Community Living Centers (CLC)
ü The CLC of the VALLHCS placed in the top quintile nationally.
“This is a major step in the right direction to improving our quality of services for our Veterans,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “Over the past year, we were able to identify our problems and implement solutions to fixing the issues at 71 percent of our facilities. I’m extremely proud of our employees and the progress they have made to raise VA’s performance for our nation’s heroes.”
The quarterly SAIL report, which has been released publicly since 2015, assesses 25 quality metrics and two efficiency and productivity metrics in areas such as death rate, complications and patient satisfaction, as well as overall efficiency and physician capacity at 146 VAMCs. It is used as an internal learning tool for VA leaders and personnel to pinpoint and study VAMCs with high quality and efficiency scores, both within specific measured areas and overall. The data is also used to identify best practices and develop strategies to help troubled facilities improve.