MEASURES
The outcome or effect measure was days between PPC consult and death for target list patients. Our goal was to increase from a baseline median of 13.5 days to > 30 days between March 6, 2019 to March 5, 2020. Earlier involvement of PPC in the care of target list patients served as our process measure with a goal to decrease the days between new target list diagnosis and PPC consult from a baseline median of 221.5 days to < 30 days during the same time frame. Data were plotted over time using statistical process control charts to assess effectiveness of interventions. Due to infrequent events, we specifically utilized g-charts to track our measures. Common cause and special cause variation were determined using previously established improvementrules.31
This project was deemed exempt as quality improvement by our institution’s Office of Research Integrity.