Multi-state Performance Improvement Project

The Multi-state Performance Improvement Project is a quality and performance improvement project and partnership among of seven states. The project, which is lead by Darlene Bainbridge of D.D. Bainbridge & Associates, Inc., focuses on helping our small rural hospitals in the development of stronger quality and performance improvement structures. Strong quality and performance improvement programs are the cornerstone of hospital success—today, tomorrow and in the future.

The ultimate goal of the project is to help the small and rural hospitals to build a healthier “Performance Pyramid” focused on the five critical outcomes of patient satisfaction that drives patient loyalty, new patient acquisition, patient profitability, patient retention and market share domination.

Key activities include: 

• Streamlining compliance-related activities to promote success while consuming minimal resources
• Assuring Medicare Conditions of Participation survey readiness
• Strengthening quality improvement activities to promote sustainable and timely improvement
• Streamlining quality and performance improvement-related activities for greater efficiency and effectiveness
• Strengthening systems that impact operations and quality such as credentialing, privileging, medical staff bylaws, policies and procedures
• Building knowledge and skills in areas such as leadership development, board education, risk management and quality
• Participating in benchmarking activities to establish baseline performance and promote learning through the sharing of best practices
• Establishing stronger systems for strategically managing the hospitals’ future

In 2008, Virginia will focus on assessing quality/performance improvement among all of the Critical Access Hospital (CAH) facilities. It is Virginia’s vision to include other non-CAH small rural hospitals (those that participate in the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program) in the near future. 

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