CCME has worked with hospitals across the Carolinas for more than a decade to raise the bar on quality care for patients. CCME is providing in-depth assistance to a group of local hospitals participating in our current Medicare-sponsored patient safety program. CCME uses four key strategies to work with these hospitals:

• Measure and report clinical performance – With standardized quality measures that are regularly reported publicly, health care consumers are able to recognize those hospitals that achieve excellence. CCME assists hospitals as they publicly report these efforts.
• Adopt information technology – CCME works with hospitals to improve care through the adoption of information technology in the form of computerized physician order entry systems, bar coding for medicines, and electronic health records.
• Redesign care processes – Many times, improving care in hospitals requires that care systems be redesigned. CCME works with hospitals to incorporate measurement and reporting systems to continually assess patient needs and expectations.
• Transform organizational culture – CCME works with facilities to develop a hospital culture that strives for high-quality care by involving support from leadership. Acceptance by staff and a shared commitment to common goals and visions are crucial to achieving quality results; CCME is there to guide them.