Colon cancer and cervical cancer screening are examples the outpatient procedures HealthMetrics has analyzed.  Participating sites in these projects were  in large integrated health care delivery systems, academic medical centers and freestanding clinics.

Our outpatient procedure projects documented wide variation in the processes used to deliver these services and a significant range of quality outcome results.  Difference in unit costs for the procedures varied on average by over 100%.  Productivity was much higher in some settings due to the processes used.  Potential savings as a result of recommended process changes were determined to be on average over 20%.

Our strategies are exceptionally suited for high volume services where efficiency and excellent service quality are demanded. This ensures revenues are maximized and gives managers data needed for budgeting and strategic planning.

Spotlight:   Optimal Performance Project in Screening Colonoscopy

This project has participants from coast to coast.  They represent nine states and a full range of settings- academic medical centers, large integrated delivery systems and free standing endoscopy suites.  Among the interesting findings was that variation in process and outcomes for this procedure were found not only from clinic to clinic, but also among physician specialties.

The colorectal surgeons practiced, not surprisingly, very differently than gastroenterologists.   Each specialty believed their process was best.  Although the clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction were similar, there was a great divergence in the time for the procedure, the provider cost and productivity, and the processes.

The project quantified the difference in quality of the service based on who did the pre-procedure interview and whether it was on the phone or an in person interview. The strength of HealthMetrics methodology is that it reveals financial and quality improvement opportunities by linking process details directly to measured outcomes.

Results

This project gave managers recommendations to reduce costs on average by 20% and improve staff satisfaction while maintaining excellent clinical quality.