STEWARDSHIP OF PATIENT RESOURCES/MEDICATION AFFORDABILITY
Why, What, and How
Facing the unique challenges of the new ambulatory CAHPS (Consumer
Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) survey in 2016, we
needed to lay foundations that would help our organization perform well
in multiple areas. The area with the most room for improvement based
on top box scores was “Stewardship of Patient Resources”. Andy
Clark, ambulatory patient experience coach, was tasked with leading
and forming a solution taskforce and implementing new initiatives. The
first clinics in the pilot group began in November 2016 and spanned
into January 2017, demonstrating spectacular results. The three clinics
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UAB Quality and Safety Annual Report
(Internal Medicine III, Nephrology, and Plastic Surgery) ranked above
the 75th percentile nationally and helped more than 300 patients with
the cost of their medications. This year the initiative was expanded to
other ambulatory clinics in waves. Almost all clinics performed in the
top quartile nationally. The core leadership team will continue to roll out
new initiatives throughout 2018. Because of these efforts and others,
UAB Medicine was in the 85th percentile nationally for this domain for
the latest performance quarter, helping the ambulatory clinics meet our
goals related to UAB Medicine’s AMC21 strategic plan.