The Journey to High Reliability
In 2015, the MHA Keystone Center, with the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare, worked with Michigan hospitals on their high reliability journey. High reliability in healthcare signifies exceptional quality of care is consistently delivered for every patient, every time.
Overall, the three-year effort focused on attaining zero preventable harm to patients, families and caregivers, and making Michigan a safe place to receive healthcare.
Following the conclusion of the partnership in 2018, the MHA Keystone Center launched a Reliability Culture Implementation Guide and explored new options to further work toward high reliability.
Why High Reliability in Healthcare Matters
“Achieving high reliability in healthcare is the next step in improving Michigan’s quality of care, reducing costs and minimizing institutional risk for both patients and providers.” – Sam R. Watson, senior vice president of field engagement, MHA
High Reliability in Healthcare:
- Improves organizational effectiveness.
- Improves organizational efficiency.
- Improves customer satisfaction.
- Improves compliance.
- Improves organizational culture.
- Improves documentation.
- Reduces risk.
- Leads towards zero preventable patient harm.
Reliability Culture Implementation Guide
The MHA Keystone Center, along with the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, Minnesota Hospital Association and Wisconsin Hospital Association partnered to create the Reliability Culture Implementation Guide.
The four hospital associations understand that high reliability and safety culture are vitally important to preventing and reducing errors and improving healthcare quality. Over the past several months, the associations worked collaboratively to gather input and create a meaningful resource guide intended to assist hospitals and health systems on their high reliability journey. The Reliability Culture Implementation Guide incorporates elements of safety culture with the five principles of high reliability organizations – preoccupation with failure, reluctance to simplify, sensitivity to operations, commitment to resiliency and deference to expertise.
The guide is intended for use by a broad audience, with resources available for frontline staff to executive leaders and board members. Completion of safety culture and executive leadership assessments will determine areas of opportunity. The Reliability Culture Implementation Guide can then be utilized in obtaining the goal for a specific area of focus and advance the work done within high reliability.
The Reliability Culture Implementation Guide is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It is intended to be an ever-evolving guide for hospitals to utilize and share organizationwide.
Learn how the MHA Keystone Center is helping move members towards high reliability culture. For more information, contact us.
