Situation

Kettering Medical Center, part of the Kettering Health Network, consists of three hospitals—Kettering Memorial Hospital, Sycamore Hospital, and Kettering Behavioral Health Medicine Center. Kettering Medical Center is a Magnet-designated institution, which demonstrates the organization's commitment to and achievement of healthcare excellence, and it received the rare Premier Q Award, an important benchmark for recognizing top clinical excellence in the healthcare industry. It has also been ranked among the Best in Ohio for Joint Surgery by HealthGrades four years in a row, and Best in the Dayton area for Stroke Care and Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation. In addition, Kettering Medical Center received the prestigious J.D. Power and Associates Distinguished Hospital Award for Service Excellence. As with any medical facility, Kettering is faced with ongoing financial pressures from escalating costs, reimbursement issues and inflation. We have examined every part of our organization for efficiencies and savings, so that we can be certain that every dollar we spend is put to the best possible use in terms of patient outcomes. When we examined our existing BLS training and certification solution, which involved traditional instructor-led training, the first thing that we noticed was its high cost. Our per-person training costs for Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, and nursing assistants was $354.38, $322.00, and $244.86, respectively. This totaled $679,133.92 on an annual outlay basis.

Impact

• Saved nearly $600,000, which was nearly 88%, on its annual BLS Training Costs when it transitioned to HeartCode BLS from traditional instructor-led BLS training
• Received high marks from BLS Trainees, who overwhelmingly scored HeartCode BLS as a success in meeting their training needs
• Nearly doubled its resuscitation rates (from 14% to 27%!) after transitioning to HeartCode BLS

Approach

We made the decision to move to HeartCode BLS provided via the HealthStream Learning Center. One factor in our decision was definitely cost; our initial estimates left no doubt that we would see quite significant advantages from this change. Another was to give our staff training that conformed to AHA standards, with the goal of achieving improved patient outcomes and greater healthcare excellence.

Results

A prominent benefit that has accompanied this change is a marked increase in our resuscitation rates. We have nearly doubled our resuscitation rate subsequent to the introduction of HeartCode BLS for our staff's training. Going from 14 to 27% exceeds mean national performance data and is a wonderful achievement for our staff and even more so for patients!*

Also, unlike our previous solution, HeartCode costs a flat rate per person, regardless of trainees’ positions or credentials. This fee was a fraction of the instructional cost we had incurred under our previous instructor-led training. Specifically, our savings for BLS training for RNs, LPNs, and nursing assistants was 88%, 87%, and 83%, respectively. That meant we had nearly $600,000 that we could use in other ways to affect patient outcomes and the quality of care that we provide. Not only were the savings impressive, but trainees rated the experience very highly. Of them, 84.2% rated HeartCode a 5 out of 5 possible points in terms of their educational needs having been met.

“We have nearly doubled our resuscitation rate subsequent to the introduction of HeartCode BLS for our staff's training. Going from 14 to 27% exceeds mean national performance data and is a wonderful achievement for our staff and even more so for patients!”
-Dianne Ditmer, PhD, RN, DABFN, SANE, FACFE; Kettering Medical Center (Dayton, Ohio)