The program assists care teams in highly reliable handoffs that drive improved patient outcomes and transfers of knowledge with fewer communication failures.

BOSTON, Mass. – NOV 29, 2022 – Idaho-based St. Luke's Health System has engaged the I-PASS Patient Safety Institute, the go-to method for reducing preventable medical errors and patient harm for healthcare providers nationwide, to implement EHR-integrated, standardized communication tools across the health system.

St. Luke's is a recognized leader in quality and a vital partner in addressing community health needs throughout the region it serves. The system is comprised of eight medical centers and has a network of 339 clinics and health centers with more than 16,500 employees and providers.

Realizing the benefits of evidence-based patient handoff tools to curb preventable patient harm, St. Luke's leadership team sought a resource to help implement a comprehensive solution that would enable all care team members to uniformly communicate patient information in a highly reliable manner and aid in the delivery of highly coordinated care. With integration top-of-mind, St. Luke's will also be leveraging I-PASS eVIEW, the digital written handoff tool, which integrates with all major EHRs. I-PASS's eVIEW tool reduces workflow redundancies like double documentation and enables teams to efficiently tailor handoff tools to specific care areas' needs at scale without overburdening the IT support staff with task requests.

The I-PASS handoff bundle enables industry-leading health organizations to rapidly adopt and implement a common language for care transitions across specialties and continuum of services.

"The I-PASS Patient Safety Institute is excited to partner with the St. Luke's team to collaboratively advance our shared objective of eliminating preventable patient harms," said William Floyd, CEO of the I-PASS Patient Safety Institute. "Our solution bundle provides clinicians with the structure and tools needed to help prevent patient harm and care defects, which are often caused by miscommunications across the continuum of care. The I-PASS bundle not only makes it easier for caregivers to deliver high-quality care it also has a positive downstream impact on care delivery workflow and efficiency, which helps eliminate waste from the health system. As we scale the I-PASS bundle across the health system, our team is excited to support St. Luke's efforts to help improve the quality and experience of care for patients and care providers."

As the leader of care coordination and teamwork, the I-PASS Patient Safety Institute provides its clients with a proven blueprint for implementing a standardized procedure to make the vulnerable communication aspects required for coordinated care safer and more reliable. The I-PASS methodology provides a common structure and language for care coordination, and the I-PASS bundle enables easy customization to meet the unique needs of clinicians and care teams across the care continuum.

"We appreciate the evidence-based approach I-PASS deploys and how it assists clinicians in the reliable, efficient transfer of knowledge, so our teams get the information they need about patients to provide the high-quality care St. Luke's is known for," said Bart Hill, MD, VP and Chief Quality Officer of St. Luke's Health System. "We look forward to collaborating with the I-PASS Patient Safety Institute to accelerate the implementation of an evidence-based, standardized handoff communication that helps reduce preventable harm."

A recent study published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine found that implementation of the I-PASS Handoff Program across 32 hospitals was associated with increased inclusion of key handoff data elements, improvements in the quality of handoff communication, and a significant reduction in reported rates of handoff-related adverse events.

For more information about working with the I-PASS Patient Safety Institute, please email info@ipassinstitute.com.

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About I-PASS

The I-PASS Patient Safety Institute is a clinical leader in patient safety, enabling a standard of care for patient handoffs and closed-loop communication. Founded by clinicians in 2016, the I-PASS Institute leverages expert mentorship paired with technology and digital tools to scale the I-PASS methodology. The I-PASS Institute's solution, the I-PASS Bundle, consists of three core technical components—I-PASS Training, I-PASS Assessment and Improvement, and I-PASS eVIEW. When all three platforms are used in unison and with the guidance of an expert coach, institutions are able to reduce patient harm caused by miscommunication. Currently implemented in more than 100 institutions, the organization's clients span high-reliability organizations, from pediatrics and residency programs to nursing and transition of care with families. Learn more at www.ipassinstitute.com.

About St. Luke's Health System

As the only Idaho-based, not-for-profit health system, St. Luke's Health System is dedicated to our mission "To improve the health of people in the communities we serve." Today that means not only treating you when you're sick or hurt, but doing everything we can to help you be as healthy as possible. Working together, we share resources, skills, and knowledge to provide the best possible care, no matter which of our hospitals you choose. Each St. Luke's Health System hospital is nationally recognized for excellence in patient care, with prestigious awards and designations reflecting the exceptional care that is synonymous with the St. Luke's name. Learn more at stlukesonline.org.