title: The collaborative method: an effective performance improvement tool for reducing inappropriate admissions.
abstract: TMF Health Quality Institute (TMF) is the Medicare quality improvement organization for Texas. Under its contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, TMF undertook an initiative to reduce unnecessary Medicare 1-day hospital admissions in Texas. The initiative used the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's collaborative model design for improvement. Hospitals in the collaborative focused on the admission process in combination with education of physicians, utilization managers, and case managers, resulting in a 19% decrease in 1-day stays among participant hospitals and demonstrating that the collaborative model can be used successfully to improve utilization management.
authors.affiliation: TMF Health Quality Institute, Austin, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Holsinger
authors.forename: Judi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McCabe
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Warren
mesh_terms: D000047:Academies and Institutes; D019090:Case Management; D014487:Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D006300:Health Services Misuse; D006739:Hospital Administration / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D016344:Medicare Part A / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017146:Models, Organizational; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013192:Staff Development; D013781:Texas; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000379:methods*; D014481:United States; D014600:Utilization Review / Q000458:organization & administration*