Sentara teams win 2022 CEO Awards for improving care and quality, saving money

Sentara Healthcare has distributed its coveted CEO Awards for 2022 to seven teams working to improve patient care, safety and quality, improve clinical processes and outcomes, solve operational challenges and save money. The CEO Award is the highest level of recognition a Sentara project team can receive. It includes a handsome desktop trophy and a monetary award for team members who served on the winning project teams.

It’s a tough competition. Seventeen teams submitted their work for consideration. Seven received awards. Four teams were invited to re-submit next year when, and if, there is additional data to support their claims of success. The winners for 2022 include:

• The Sentara COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force – Rapidly developed a comprehensive COVID-19 vaccination plan in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Health. Recruited Sentara team members, community and faith leaders, news media, and Sentara platforms to share vital information in a rapidly evolving environment. Developed an online registration platform. Created a centralized ordering and allocation process through Sentara Pharmacy to ensure adequate vaccine supplies across 12 hospitals. Targeted vaccine hesitancy with a ‘Myth Busters’ campaign in social and mainstream media, using respected physicians to deliver the message. Results: Provided 194,000 vaccines in venues large and small, ranging from two public events at Norfolk Scope with thousands of recipients to an intimate evening at the Islamic Center in Hampton, so the community could remain compliant with daytime fasting requirements during Ramadan. Such was the level of cultural sensitivity by the Sentara Health Equity team in developing new relationships with underserved communities and overcoming vaccine hesitancy.
• COVID-19 Monoclonal Antoibodies (MABs)  – Anticipation, and preparation, by Sentara allowed treatment of first patient with MABs within two weeks of FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization. System and medical group leadership developed and shared clinical criteria for treatment. A multi-disciplinary team designed workflows and created a novel process to screen, prioritize and treat patients. Workspaces and clinic area were isolated to safely administer MABs while providing care to immunocompromised patients. Established innovative accommodations to meet patient demand as surge volumes fluctuated. Created a referral form in the Sentara eCare electronic medical record to eliminate paper referral forms and speed referrals electronically. Results: Established 10 MAB clinics across the Sentara system. Treated 6,150 patients with MABs through mid-March 2022. Avoided an estimated 439 hosopital admissions and 21 desths. Saved $7.9M in hospital admissions costs and additional costs for long-term treatment needs.
• Proprium Pharmacy 340B Alignment – Proprium Pharmacy is a Sentara-owned specialty pharmacy in service to patients with complex conditions requiring specialized medications. This project involved aligning and credentialing 11 Sentara Medical Group practices with the federal 340B program, which regulates costs of specialty drugs and manages rebates to credentialed providers. Results: Served 5,069 patients with specialty medications delivered to their homes. Partnered with Shields Health Services to provide patient education, onboarding assistance and clinical liaisons.
• Sentara Accountable Care Organization (ACO) – This project was Sentara’s first step into the federal Medicare Shared Savings program. ACOs are eligible to receive back a portion of Medicare cost savings by improving coordination of care among specialty providers for complex patients, reducing complications and hospital readmissions, and saving taxpayers money on Medicare by preventing avoidable high-cost services. Results: Reduced ER visits by 29% by more closely coordinating care among Sentara, EVMS and community-based providers. Achieved $27M in total savings to Medicare in 2020. Shared $11M awarded back to the system by Medicare. Placed 3^rd in the nation in first year savings among 53 new ACOs. Most importantly, outcomes for complex patients improved through enhanced coordination of care.
• Newborn Blood Screening electronic orders – All newborns are screened for inherited medical conditions through blood tests at the state laboratory in Richmond. The process of ordering tests on paper, driving orders and samples to Richmond and returning results by courier hasn’t changed since 1966, until now. A nurse-led multidisciplinary team at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, frustrated at this glacial pace, discovered untapped capability in the Sentara eCare electronic medical record to order these tests and receive results electronically. Sentara IT designed a ‘build’ to connect Sentara with the state laboratory online. Once the process was proven effective, it was deployed to ten Sentara hospitals with Family Maternity programs. Result: Sentara is the only health system in Virginia to achieve this level of functionality in newborn testing. Test results are routinely back in four days versus two weeks, keeping Sentara within the best practice window and speeding interventions for inherited health issues. As of 2022, almost 1,900 orders and results had been completed electronically by Sentara hospitals in Virginia.

Some of these projects may appear in the weeds and wonky to those outside health care. They often involve navigating complex processes across multiple disciplines and organizations, building relationships with Medicare and Medicaid and providers outside Sentara. They may take months or years to complete and more time to demonstrate positive results once data collection begins. Bear in mind, they are focused on achieving safer, more effective patient care and outcomes, and lower costs of care, and that benefits everyone.