THE HOSPITAL-VISITING NURSE ASSOCIATION PARTNERSHIP - A CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM

The authors present a model for a joint continuous quality improvement program between a home health agency and a referring hospital. The pr ogram evaluates the patient's healthcare continuum and provides feedba ck to both organizations regarding the effectiveness of discharge plan ning, referral, and home care services. A program such as this, which fosters the sharing of information and collaboration on common goals, is essential to care coordination. Information criteria used to design the model, methodologies for implementing evaluation activities, and mutual benefits realized by the participating organizations are descri bed.