Improving the Quality of Healthcare in Central Oregon

描述（由申请人提供）：参与这个拟议的AHRQ规划过程的七个医疗保健组织是俄勒冈中部和东部医院网络（CONet）的成员。CONet是俄勒冈州最大的区域医院网络，也是该地区唯一一家合作改善农村医疗保健服务的医疗保健组织。成员的合作历史包括创建和实施该州第一个也是唯一一个农村远程医疗网络。AHRQ的规划拨款为CONet提供了一个难得的机会，使其能够发展所需的医疗卫生基础设施，以制定一种区域性的方法来实现患者安全和优质护理。小型的CONet农村医院在财政上困难重重，缺乏资源专门用于规划所需的HIT基础设施。

DESCRIPTION (provided by the applicant): The seven healthcare organizations participating in this proposed AHRQ planning process are members of the Central and Eastern Oregon Hospital Network (CONet). CONet is the largest regional hospital network in Oregon and is the only healthcare organization in the region working collaboratively to improve rural access to healthcare. The members' history of collaboration has included the creation and implementation of the state's first and only rural telemedicine network. The AHRQ planning grant represents an exceptional opportunity for CONet to develop the needed HIT infrastructure to develop a regional approach to patient safety and quality care. The small CONet rural hospitals struggle financially and lack the resources to dedicate to planning for needed HIT infrastructure. The most medically underserved counties in Oregon are in the CONet region. Many communities are federally designated physician shortage areas and do not have physicians. All of Oregon's federally designated frontier counties are located in the CONet service region. CONet hospitals manifest varying levels of sophistication with their existing computer systems--from almost everything done by hand to varying levels of computerization. The AHRQ planning grant offers an opportunity to cooperatively work with one another to jointly develop an integrated HIT for patient safety and quality care solutions. The planning grant process will provide CONet the opportunity to identify key issues that will improve patient safety and quality of care, including analyzing the cost-benefit of technical solutions to the region's needs. The proposed planning process will require hiring a consultant, who will assist with patient safety and quality of care education and needs assessment; a second consultant will be hired to help identify the regional technology that would best meet the need(s) identified from the results of the needs assessment.