Strategic Plan
The following goals are in the 2006 - 2010 Strategic Plan
Continuously improve the quality and safety of health care for veterans, particularly in those health issues associated with military service
VA Pittsburgh's proposed implementation strategies:
- Assure patient safety through improved outcomes in the areas outlined in the national patient safety goals
- Pursue higher level achievement and recognition in demonstrated clinical areas of excellence, by participation in the IHI 6 for 100,000 lives campaign and seeking JCAHO Disease Management Certification in cardiovascular care
- Expand programs for glycemic and pulmonary management to all post-op, ICU, and emergent care patients
- Expand the MRSA control program
- Expand the recovery model in behavioral health, including providing vet-to-vet peer counseling for the seriously mentally ill
- Pilot patient driven scheduling in behavioral health
- Establish a behavioral health lab
- Include behavioral health participation in nursing home care interdisciplinary care teams.
- Assure delivery of care consistent with patients' clearly defined goals of therapy at end of life, including development of a related evaluative study and possible consultation before transfer to acute care
- Expand restorative care services in nursing home care
- Activate endoscopy room, assuring anesthesia availability
- Improve intrafacility transfers among VAPHS' divisions
- Efficiently move patients to the appropriate level of acute care
- Explore universal bed concept in med/surg to expand telemetry and ventilator care capacity
- Use information technology to support success performance on quality measures
Provide timely and appropriate access to health care by implementing best practices:
- Spread implementation of advanced clinic access including strategies to reduce no show rates
- Enhance acute inpatient capacity and develop a proposal to expand telemetry beds for market use
- Expand specialty capacity in GI, Dermatology, and Rheumatology
- Establish some specialty follow up care at market facilities
- Develop a formal dual care model in primary care
- Expand non-face-to-face access to primary care
- Create an outpatient care center, incorporating 23 hour, same day surgery, and an outpatient diagnostic model
- Provide timely and coordinated care to OEF/OIF returnees
Continuously improve veteran and family satisfaction with VA care by promoting patient-centered care and excellent customer service:
- Add telemetry capability to MICU and SICU
- Renovate coronary care and step down units
- Enhance environment in radiology, nuclear medicine, neurology, 23 hr unit
- Increase volunteer led activity on inpatient units
- Construct a Fisher House at University Drive in 2009 or 2010
- Enhance nursing home culture and environment through the EDEN Alternative and assurance of a safe, secure and attractive environment
Promote diversity, excellence, and satisfaction in the workforce and foster a culture which encourages innovation:
- Reduce mandatory overtime and pursue flexible scheduling for nursing staff
- Increase nursing expertise in geriatric and wound care
- Develop strategies to maintain adequate ICU staffing levels
- Fully utilize retention tools including debt reduction and awards/recognition
- Continue pursuit of Magnet status for nursing program
Promote excellence in business practices through administrative, financial, and clinical efficiencies:
- Update the master space plan
- Renovate and expand ECC
- Complete major construction project while assuring continuity of services
- Automate the TEMPO and nursing scheduling packages
- Expand voice recognition implementation
- Enhance paging system to allow forwarding
- Implement use of VistA at the State Veterans Home
- Optimize VERA, MCCR and sharing revenue
- Assure seamless transition of payroll, GIP, warehouse, mailroom and SPD to Business Service Line
- Manage services within allocated resources
- Implement a centralized business office at UD
- Review I.V. team staffing mix
- Develop a nursing assistant role in acute care
- Expand home I.V. therapy
- Assure timely return of inpatients to market facilities
- Pursue lab automation
- Streamline the pharmacy renewal process
Focus research and development on clinical and system improvements designed to enhance the health and well-being of veterans:
- Strengthen relationships between behavioral health, MIRECC, and CHERP
- Promote excellence in the education of future health care professionals and enhance VHA partnership with affiliates
- Provide resident supervision in accordance with established guidelines
- Promote health within the VA, local communities, and the Nation consistent with VA’s mission
- Enhance smoking cessation activities & work toward being smoke free
- Move toward a no-lift care environment
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