9 of 13 I VALUE-DRIVEN
The Ali & Science of Evidence-Based Care RESEARCH BY MATTHEW WEINSTOCK
T he shift to a value-driven delivery model hinges on a
key element: patients’ achieving the best possible out-
comes. The linchpin to that is ensuring that clinicians
regularly follovi best practices and adhere to evidence-
based protocols.
“If this [transformation] is about value and value equals qual-
ity divided by cost, then it makes sense that you look at the evi-
dence,” says Joseph Pepe, M.D., CEO of Catholic Medical Center,
Manchester, N.H.
Pepe, who served as CMC’s chief medical officer for 12 years
before moving into the chief executive role in 2012, acknowledges
that one of the biggest stumbling blocks to instituting evidence-
based practice more broadly is the fear that it is “cookbook medi-
cine.” That’s a passé notion, he says. Evidence-based care is not
only about following results from the most recent clinical studies,
but blending that with a patient’s values and desires, as well as
relying on a physician’s judgment.
“Physicians have gotten a bad rap,” says Jean Slutsky, direc-
tor of the Center for Outcomes and Evidence at the Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality, when talking about the percep-
tion that doctors routinely reject the move toward evidence-based
care. “Physicians are lifelong learners. The very nature of what
they do is about learning.”
A 2008 AHRQ handbook on implementing evidence-based
care supports the notion that this is not a completely rigid process.
It defines evidence-based care as “the use of current best evidence
I ABOUTTHISSERIES I H&HN created this exclusive Fiscal Fitness series with the support of the VHA last year to highlight strategies
hospitals are using to improve quality of care while increasing efficiencies and reining in expenses. In 2013,
the series will focus on organizations that are demonstrating high-value health care
with measurable results. Follow the Fiscal Fitness series in our magazine, in our
e-newsletter H&HN Daily and on our website at www.hhnmag.com/fiscalfitness.
in conjunction with clinical expertise and patient values to guide health
care decisions.” That definition first was popularized by David Sackett,
a Canadian doctor, in a 1996 British Medical Journal editorial. “Good
doctors use both individual clinical expertise and the best available
external evidence, and neither alone is enough,” he argued.
For example, Slutsky says, the evidence may suggest that a patient
be put on a certain medication. Best practice may be to prescribe one
pill a day for 10 days. In a shared-decision model, which is also a critical
part of the process, the physician and patient would discuss the best
option available — perhaps it is using a different drug on the formulary
that’s more affordable but requires the patient to take the medication
three times a day.
Another factor to consider: “What level of risk for side effects is
the patient wilHng to assume?” Slutsky asks.
The AHRQ advises that when developing a process to implement
evidence-based practices, hospitals view things from the clinician’s per-
spective. In doing so, it recommends selecting areas for improvement,
“rather than asking what findings ought to be disseminated.”
That’s the approach Kaiser Permanente follows.
“We spend a lot of time trying to figure out what clinical ques-
tion we want to answer,” says Scott Young, M.D., associate executive
director, clinical care and irmovation, at the Permanente Foundation.
Once an area is identified. Kaiser Permanente has a robust pro-
cess for reviewing clinical guidelines and disseminating new protocols
throughout the health system. Scott says topics come up for review
by a variety of different means [See case study.]. Perhaps the most
important element of the process, he says, is physician buy-in. Because
protocols are put through a rigorous review, clinicians have confidence
that following them is in the best interest of the patient. ‘ •
Having physician champions who can effectively advocate for the
use of evidence-based care improves the likelihood that protocols will
be adopted widely. The AHRQ report highlights two kinds of backers:
• Opinion leaders: These people are “trusted to evaluate new infor-
mation in the context of group norms.” They are expert at explaining
why research findings need to be implemented into regular practice.
• Change champions: These clinicians are “passionate about inno-
vation, committed to improving quality of care, and have a positive
working relationship with other health care professionals. They circulate
information, encourage peers to adopt the innovation, arrange demon-
strations and orient staff to the innovation.”
As with everything else in health care, senior leadership support
is also instiimiental. The AHRQ report states that senior leaders need to
incorporate evidence-based care into the organization’s overall mission,
vision and strategic plan; it needs to be a fundamental staff expectation.
With payment models moving toward an approach that rewards
good outcomes and penalizes bad ones, hospitals will be assuming much
more financial risk for patient care. That, experts say, demands greater
attention to evidence-based care.
“What choice do we have?” Scott asks. “We have to base care on
evidence going forward. When we start talking about value, we need to
look at what our patients want and need. Wliat’s the best evidence and
how can we bring that to bear?” •
.0 . –
K N O W L E D G E T R A N S F E R : A FRAMEWORK FOR AHRQ PATIENT SAFETY PORTFOLIO AND GRANTEES
Knowledge creation and distribution
Creation of new knowledge,
practices and products
Distillation of key knowledge, practices or
products
Diffusion and dissemination
Creation of dissemination partnerships/
knowledge transfer teams
Adoption, implementation and institutionalization
Development of
interventions
Adoption and
implementation
Confirmation, adaptation and internal institution-
. alization .
External institutional-
ization/ routinization
Mass diffusion of key knowledge
and products
Targeted dissemination/
persuasion
Source: Evidence Based Paractice Implementation, AHRQ,i9oo
CASE STUDY
Alexîan Brothers HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILL. Jason Washbum wanted to know how effective treatments were
at Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital. “We didn’t nec-
essarily know if a patient got better,” says Washburn, director
of the hospital’s Center for Evidence-Based Practice. “We knew
they were at a level where they could be safely discharged and
wouldn’t be a harm to themselves or someone else.” The only
real metric the hospital had was readmissions.
In 2006, the hospital started trying to conceptualize mental
health care around evidence-based practices. It created question-
naires to conduct patient assessments. The challenge was coming
up with relatively short forms that patients could complete quickl
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