Mortality Review

The death of a patient is always a sad event. For the individuals involved with that patient’s care — whether it’s the attending physician, the pharmacist, the nurses or other health care professionals — it’s important to understand all the factors that impacted the patient’s care. Doing so allows everyone to determine whether the death was preventable, and if so, whose performance and which processes need to be improved upon.

The Mortality Review as Part of a Quality Improvement Program

Every hospital wants to provide the best possible care for its patients. For this reason, mortality reviews — however uncomfortable — must be a part of every quality improvement program. To be effective, a mortality review has to be conducted by an interdisciplinary review committee comprised of a range of health care professionals, including physicians, administrators, nurses, EMTs, pharmacists and coroners. Their collective knowledge, along with the complete and objective documentation of each case, forms the cornerstone of the review.

The mortality review has to consider the entire course of care — not just the performance of the treating physician or nursing staff. An error during emergency care, a delay during patient hand-off or a mistake with medication can all contribute. For this reason, it’s critical to make an in-depth, objective assessment of all processes involved.

Once a mortality review has been conducted, it should yield data-driven opportunities for improvement. Consequently, the focus should be on making adjustments to those areas where improvement is attainable — and consistently tracking the results.

The Role of Mortality Review Companies

Consistently and accurately performing mortality reviews can place a burden on a hospital’s already busy staff. Qualified mortality review agencies can help unburden these health care institutions by providing professionals with the expertise and experience needed to perform accurate and objective reviews that yield actionable insights for improved care.

HCRS — Your Independent Mortality Review Agency

At HCRS, we have a team of highly qualified professionals who conduct mortality reviews with sensitivity and thoroughness. We understand that the main objective is to continuously enhance the level of care — and that understanding is the foundation of all of our reviews. Our team will carefully assess and analyze all relevant data, present their findings and make data-driven recommendations for better care.

In addition to human expertise and experience, we provide the technology needed to track and measure the results of improvements, which delivers both the clarity and ease of use necessary to ensure adherence to the quality improvement program.

Choose HCRS for Greater Insights Into Process Improvement

For conflict-of-interest-free mortality review services, HCRS can be counted on to deliver the right mix of professionalism, proficiency and compassion in order for your facility and staff to learn where tangible improvements can be made. As a provider of health care management solutions to hospitals, clinics, government agencies and public organizations for over two decades, HCRS has the commitment to discretion and organizational success you want in a collaborative partner handling your facility’s critical information.

To learn more about mortality review services from HCRS, contact us today.