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An initial assessment of the Veterans Affairs occurrence screening program.
1Department of Veterans Affairs Central Office, Washington, DC.
QRB. Quality Review Bulletin
|October 1, 1992
Summary
The Department of Veterans Affairs
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Quality Assurance
- Medical Informatics
- Patient Safety
Background:
- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) implemented a computerized occurrence screening program in 1988.
- This program aimed to enhance the quality assurance efforts within VA medical centers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of the VA's computerized occurrence screening program.
- To identify key indicators and limitations of the screening process for quality improvement.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from the VA's computerized occurrence screening program.
- Surveys and feedback from participating VA hospitals on screening criteria effectiveness.
Main Results:
- Occurrence screening identified areas for improvement in 4.2% of all occurrences.
- Readmissions, death, and short-term re-visits were identified as the most effective screening criteria by over 50% of hospitals.
- 56% of facilities considered occurrence screening effective for identifying quality-of-care issues.
Conclusions:
- The VA's occurrence screening program has been a valuable tool for quality assurance.
- The program has been refined based on identified limitations and data analysis to further improve quality of care.