title: Integrating external clinical information with the ten-step monitoring and evaluation process: from theory to practice.
abstract: Traditionally, Sisters of Mercy Health System (SMHS)-St Louis hospitals have had difficulty integrating quality information from external sources into their own monitoring and evaluation activities. This difficulty became apparent at the 14 hospitals of the SMHS when the system headquarters began providing its hospitals with comparative clinical outcome information. Although the hospitals found value in the comparative studies, the information was not fully used in individual hospitals' quality improvement efforts. As a result, SMHS developed a model for integrating external quality information into the local hospitals' ten-step monitoring and evaluation process. This article explains the integration model and shows how it has worked in several clinical scenarios.
authors.affiliation: Sisters of Mercy Health System (SMHS)-St Louis, MO 63131.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Garbo
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Goedken
mesh_terms: D006751:Hospital Information Systems / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016519:Hospitals, Religious / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D007591:Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations; D017146:Models, Organizational; D009096:Multi-Institutional Systems / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011786:Quality Control; D012107:Research Design; D014481:United States