Becker's Hospital Review

60 Executive Briefing Sponsored by: M eet Linda— a 68-year-old grandmother and a diabetic. Linda calls 911 one day after experiencing pain in her stomach and back. In the hospital, her CT scan does not reveal anything significant, so the ER releases Linda. Later at home Linda's daughter finds her unresponsive and calls 911 once again. Back in the hospital, her blood tests reveal three strains of bacteria, so her doctor prescribes two different antibiotics as a broad-spectrum approach. This real-world scenario not only has a huge financial impact on the hospital, but, more importantly, it also has a huge impact on the health of patients like Linda. A study by the National Academy of Medicine estimated that approximately 12 million people are misdiagnosed annually, and that diagnostic errors contribute up to 17% of adverse events in hospitals and 10% of patient deaths. 1 Fortunately, in Linda's case, she received the right diagnosis in time, but both she and the hospital paid the price. Combining readmission, delayed response to sepsis and the associated costs of a longer hospital stay, that single misdiagnosis adds up to more than $52,000. Clearly, this scenario is untenable, and hospitals are finding themselves in choppy waters when it comes to balancing care and cost to meet the needs of patients, staff and leadership. Better care begins in the lab Given that lab testing represents 2% of healthcare spending and influences 70% of medical decisions, 2 it makes sense that hospitals are making more investments in that area of their business. After all, lab is everywhere — from the doctor's office to the urgent care center to the patient's home. It delivers diagnoses, informs treatments and helps improve lives. The importance of a well-run lab cannot be underestimated. Consider these statistics from HIDA.org: 2 • 60% of patients with a sore throat receive antibiotics but only 15% of those sore throats are actually caused by Strep A • Patients whose HbA1c level was tested during hospitalization had 7.4% fewer readmissions and 30% deduction in readmissions due to heart failure • Patients with heart attack symptoms who received point-of-care testing in the ER had 38% fewer intensive care admissions, 12% fewer hospitalizations and an 8% reduction in length of stay With decreasing reimbursements, increasing labor shortages and fluctuating patient satisfaction, optimizing your lab requires all hands on deck. That's why more hospitals are relying on their supply chain to do some heavy lifting to help solve challenges like: • Staffing vacancies and reduced productivity • Insufficient quality control and validation • Poor lab metrics • High turnaround time (TAT) • Outdated equipment • Inefficient inventory management • Low patient satisfaction • Decreased profitability and cost management Here are three ways your supply chain can help you take control of your lab and improve clinical, operational and financial outcomes. Better clinical outcomes Fact: 56,000 adverse health effects and 34,000 deaths can be avoided through appropriate diagnostic testing. And when that happens, patient satisfaction improves by 59%. 2 So how can your supply chain help bring that about? By bringing you the latest diagnostic technology for faster, more accurate results — all at a price you can afford. One of the most powerful ways your supply chain can help you improve clinical outcomes is through antibiotic stewardship. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that up to 50% of antibiotics prescribed in acute care hospitals are unnecessary or inappropriate. 3 Linda's three antibiotic prescriptions may have rid her of a bacterial infection, but they also increased her chances of antibiotic resistance. And, her longer hospital stay increased her exposure to potentially deadly hospital acquired infections (HAIs). With more superbugs on the horizon, antibiotic stewardship has become top of mind for hospitals. As one assistant pharmacy director at a Southeastern hospital observes, "Antibiotic stewardship is huge right now. Reducing antibiotic misuse, IV to PO, hospital acquired infections — all of that is really important." But many, especially small community hospitals, struggle to put an 1 https://www.nap.edu/catalog/21794/improving-diagnosis-in-health-care 2 https://www.hida.org/App_Themes/Member/docs/Resources/HIDA_Impact-of-Diagnostics-on-Healthcare-Outcomes.pdf 3 https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/stewardship-report/outpatient.html Putting your supply chain to work in the lab to deliver better results

• Cover