Partnering with technology to reduce OB losses

Following a catastrophic birth injury that occurred as a result of deviations from the expected standards of care, the OB Risk Reduction Task Force of a healthcare network identified criteria to transform care at the bedside from theory to practice: 1) protocol-driven, real-time alerts to help healthcare providers meet clinical guidelines; and 2) the ability to produce reliable data to monitor and measure adherence to accepted standards of care. The group selected a technological solution to achieve that end. This case study illustrates how a strong partnership model between healthcare and technology solution providers can achieve much when both parties are focused on the same goals of performance improvement and active risk reduction.