NURS FPX 8012 Assessment 2 Proposal for a Change

Name

Capella university

NURS-FPX 8012 Nursing Technology and Health Care Information Systems

Prof. Name

Date

Using Data to Make Evidence-Based Technology Recommendations

(Slide 1) Hello Everyone. I am Felicia, a DNP-prepared nurse. Thank you for being here today. As healthcare continues to evolve, the role of nurse informaticists has become critical in leveraging data to improve patient outcomes and streamline care processes. 

(Slide 2) This presentation intends to also analyze the concept of nurse informatics and the concept of a nurse as a knowledge worker in the current environment that is permeated by data. Central to this discussion are two prominent evaluation systems: the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade and Medicare Compare. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, using letters from A to F, directly centers on evaluating hospital patient safety performance.

At the same time, Medicare Compare offers detailed data using the 5-star scale on healthcare organizations, helping people and their families choose. By analyzing these systems, we will show how data is collected, analyzed, and used to inform decisions, improving patient care and organizational performance. 

Leapfrog and Medicare Compare Scores

(Slide 3) The Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Oakland, California, has earned an impressive “A” grade rating on the Leapfrog scale, reflecting its strong commitment to patient safety. Key safety measures relevant to primary care delivery highlight strengths and improvement areas. The three safety measures selected include Responsiveness of Hospital Staff, Communication about Medicines, and MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) Infection Rates. In the responsiveness measure, the obtained score was 78, positions under the average score of 81.48 but above the lowest possible score of 55.

In measuring the medicines’ communication, the hospital scored 100, significantly above the 79.04 average in this area. However, using the MRSA infection rates, the hospital scored 0.582, while the best score was 0.000, which was poorer than the benchmark score of 0.746 but better than the average score (Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, 2024b). These metrics above demonstrate Kaiser Oakland’s commitment to sustaining quality improvement objectives while at the same time pointing out areas in which the healthcare facility could further enhance patient safety.

NURS FPX 8012 Assessment 2 Proposal for a Change

(Slide 4) The Kaiser Foundation Hospital Oakland has received an overall Medicare star rating of 3, indicating an average performance where it performs well in some areas but has areas for improvement. First, the hospital performed well in mortality: 6 of 7 measures were the same as the national average in providing efficient care to minimize 30-day mortality rates for hospitalized patients.

In the domain of Patient Experience, eight out of eight measures were met, surpassing the HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems)  survey results. It demonstrates favorable views regarding the communication of the patient from the nursing care team, the clinical staff’s responsiveness, care coordination, and efficient evaluation of patients’ quality of care. However, timely and effective care measures provoke an increase and exceed the national average because of 4 out of 12 scores. These outcomes show that the hospital has many strong aspects and explains potential ways to improve the care services (Medicare, 2025c).

Assessing Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Oakland against Two Other Hospitals

(Slide 5) Firstly, let us compare the Kaiser Foundation against Highland Hospital in Oakland. As per the Leapfrog scale, the hospital has a C grade rating, showcasing that the hospital is not consistently performing well in patient safety measures. In comparison against the Kaiser Foundation Hospital’s three selected metrics, Highland Hospital scores 79 in responsiveness of the staff measure, 73 in communication about medicines, and 0.448 in MRSA infection rates (Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, 2024c). As a result, Kaiser performed exceptionally well in communication about medicine, with little difference in the responsiveness of the staff measure and a little below in MRSA infection rate compared to Highland Hospital.

Medicare score for the hospital is poor, with only one star out of five, showcasing significant issues in the safety and quality of care delivery. The outlook for the three measures selected looks promising. For instance, mortality is 6 out of 7, patient experience according to the HCAHPS survey is the same as Kaiser which is 8 out of 8, and Timely and Effective Care scores 10 out of 12, which is better than Kaiser’s (Medicare, 2025b). The discrepancy can be due to Highland Hospital’s excellence in specific measures like mortality, patient experience, and timely care; the overall Medicare score reflects broader issues such as infections or leadership engagement that are not captured by those individual metrics. This suggests weaknesses in other key areas impacting the overall rating.

NURS FPX 8012 Assessment 2 Proposal for a Change

(Slide 6) Another hospital, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, is next for comparison. As per the Leapfrog scale, the hospital ranks the same as the Kaiser Foundation, meaning an “A” grade. The scores of the Alta Bates in three selected measures are as follows:80 in responsiveness of the hospital staff, 74 in communication about medicines, and 0.000 in MRSA infection rates (Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, 2024a).

Compared to the Kaiser Foundation, it is slightly better in responsiveness, below in communication about medicine, as Kaiser Foundation scores 100/100, while in the third measure of MRSA infection rate, the Alta Bates scores perfect as 0.000. The Medicare scale is 4 out of 5, which is better than the Kaiser Foundation Hospital (Medicare, 2025a). The three measures give the following ratings: mortality 7 out of 7 (better than Kaiser), patient experience 8 out of 8 (same as Kaiser), and timely and effective care 8 out of 12, which indicates that it is performing better than Kaiser exceptionally.

Implementing Telehealth Online Consultation to Improve Leapfrog Score

 (Slide 7) From the analysis of the Leapfrog scores for the Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Oakland, the two aspects that need improvement are the Responsiveness of Hospital Staff and MRSA Infection Rates. To meet these challenges, telehealth solutions should be implemented. As a result of telehealth consultation, responsiveness has improved as communications between patients and medical practitioners are immediate. Haleem et al. (2021) identified that telehealth interventions decrease patient waiting time and improve patient satisfaction since people can access care promptly for less urgent issues. This is relevant to the Responsiveness of Hospital Staff measure and can help enhance the hospital’s results.

In addition, MRSA Infection Prevention can benefit from telehealth since follow-ups and consultations can be done via the virtual platform and do not necessarily entail physical appointments, which are ideal for spreading infections. According to Shokri et al. (2023), virtual visits and home monitoring may reduce HAIs like MRSA for the same reason – exposure to hospital-associated settings. They also reduce the risk of cross-contamination through infections if the physical visits are conducted frequently through telehealth consults, which, in one way, enhances the infection rate reduction. These evidence-based recommendations align with the hospital’s goals to improve patient safety and care quality.

Implementing Telehealth Online Consultation to Improve Medicare Score

(Slide 8) Telehealth, especially online consultations, increases Kaiser Foundation Hospital’s opportunity to significantly improve Medicare Compare scores, focusing on the highlighted areas for improvement in Timely and Effective Care. Telehealth has a great scope of enhancing timely and effective care as many patients need follow-up care and minor consultations to get proper responses without visiting health centers. This decreases point-of-care waiting times and augments the tempo of care delivery (Haleem et al., 2021). Also, integrating telehealth with Electronic Health Records (EHRs) enhances coordination with providers from different fields to meet the patient’s needs by receiving care at the right time (Zhang & Saltman, 2021).

Such simplified communication may result in early interventions and positive results, as the cases of clients with chronic illnesses or those who have been discharged from the hospital prove. Telehealth may contribute to improving mortality insofar as patients with chronic diseases, heart issues, or after surgery need close supervision. Tele-visit entails early identification of severe situations, decreasing mortality (Williams & Shang, 2023). Moreover, telehealth helps to manage chronic diseases by continually keeping a check on such diseases as heart disease or diabetes so that any relapse, rehospitalization, or death is prevented.

Performance Data for Executive Appeal

(Slide 9) The format of the presentation is chosen on purpose. It aims to address executives’ potential audience by providing the processed top-knot data of the research, evidence-backed suggestions, and concrete, actionable recommendations for further practical development of the organization regarding patient satisfaction and improvement of the hospital’s hospital. Starting with the report comparing the hospital’s current status of Leapfrog and Medicare Compare immediately makes it easier to address those areas that need enhancements. For instance, Telehealth under Timely and Effective Care and Mortality shows specific examples of how different measures can help achieve the hospital’s quality improvement plan.

For example, telehealth for chronic disease management and preventive care represents how the abovementioned solutions may result in specific advancements that meet the hospital’s goals. These examples are relevant to an executive audience as they demonstrate that these initiatives grow clinical quality, operational efficiency, and financial performance, thus increasing clinical benefits and competitive advantage. The expected outcome is to influence decision-makers to embrace such technologies as viable and beneficial to the organization’s healthcare improvements while advancing the specified strategic organizational goals.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this presentation highlighted the critical role of data-driven decision-making in improving hospital performance, focusing on the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade and Medicare Compare scores. By analyzing the performance of Kaiser Foundation Hospital, Highland Hospital, and Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, we identified key areas for improvement, such as responsiveness and MRSA infection rates. Integrating telehealth solutions, particularly online consultations, was recommended as an evidence-based strategy to enhance timely and effective care, reduce hospital-associated infections, and improve chronic disease management. These strategies aim to improve patient safety, operational efficiency, and care quality, aligning with the hospital’s goals for enhanced outcomes and organizational success.

References

Haleem, A., Javaid, M., Singh, R. P., & Suman, R. (2021). Telemedicine for healthcare: Capabilities, features, barriers, and applications. Sensors International, 2(2), 100–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sintl.2021.100117 

Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. (2024a). Alta Bates Summit Medical Center – CA. Hospitalsafetygrade.org. https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/h/alta-bates-summit-medical-center 

Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. (2024b). Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Oakland – CA. Hospitalsafetygrade.org. https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/h/kaiser-foundation-hospital-oakland 

NURS FPX 8012 Assessment 2 Proposal for a Change

Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. (2024c). Wilma Chan Highland Hospital Campus – CA. Hospitalsafetygrade.org. https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/h/wilma-chan-highland-hospital-campus 

Medicare. (2025a). Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. Medicare.gov. https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/details/hospital/050043?id=acdc3f1f-65fc-47c4-8b66-f155b9bb9ebc&city=Oakland&state=CA&zipcode=&measure=hospital-overall-rating 

Medicare. (2025b). Highland Hospital. Medicare.gov. https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/details/hospital/050320?id=28e1c1c8-033d-40fc-abe7-b23bf41cb2fa&city=Oakland&state=CA&zipcode= 

Medicare. (2025c). Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Oakland/Richmond. Medicare.gov. https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/details/hospital/050075?id=386ad861-edb2-4f97-b731-5256a315de69&city=Oakland&state=CA&zipcode= 

Shokri, F., Bahrainian, S., Tajik, F., Rezvani, E., Shariati, A., nourigheimasi, S., Shahrebabaki, E. S., Ebrahimi, M., Shamoon, F., & Heidary, M. (2023). The potential role of telemedicine in the infectious disease pandemic with an emphasis on COVID‐19: A narrative review. Health Science Reports, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.1024 

Williams, C., & Shang, D. (2023). Telehealth for chronic disease management among vulnerable populations. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 11(2), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-023-01588-4 

NURS FPX 8012 Assessment 2 Proposal for a Change

Zhang, X., & Saltman, R. (2021). Impact of electronic health records interoperability on telehealth service outcomes. JMIR Medical Informatics, 10(1), e31837. https://doi.org/10.2196/31837