Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Biome Analytics Partner to Enhance Cardiovascular Care
Barnes-Jewish Hospital (BJH), a leading institution in advanced cardiovascular care, has partnered with Biome Analytics to utilize advanced data analytics and reporting tools to enhance clinical outcomes for patients undergoing interventional cardiology procedures. This collaboration reflects both organizations’ dedication to improving patient care, while reducing unnecessary variation and avoidable costs. Key accomplishments from this partnership include:
One of the key achievements from this partnership has been top-decile performance among Biome’s national benchmarks for Observed-to-Expected (O/E) ratios for bleeding events in PCI patients. This achievement reflects BJH’s ability to monitor, reduce, and manage adverse outcomes effectively during complex procedures. Additionally, BJH achieved 100% adherence to the use of a novel contrast media calculator, which helps predict the likelihood of acute kidney injury (AKI) and other adverse events during PCIs. This tool has proven instrumental in preventing AKI, enhancing patient safety, and guiding clinical decision-making.
Another major accomplishment from the collaboration includes a significant reduction in radiation exposure risk for both patients and providers during these procedures. With the increased use of imaging technologies in interventional cardiology, minimizing radiation exposure is crucial for both immediate and long-term health. BJH’s success in reducing this risk further underscores the effectiveness of their partnership with Biome Analytics in optimizing safety across multiple aspects of patient care.
Furthermore, the partnership has resulted in an average cost reduction of nearly $19,000 per avoidable complication during PCIs. By focusing on preventive measures, reducing complications, and improving operational efficiency, BJH has been able to drive down costs while maintaining a high level of care for patients.
Key Success Factors in Clinical Transformation
Several key success factors have contributed to the clinical transformation at BJH, as outlined in a recent podcast moderated by Amber Pawlikowski, VP of Performance Improvement at Biome. In the podcast, leaders from BJH’s clinical and operational teams discussed the strategies that have driven their success. A standout factor is BJH’s strong data governance model, which ensures that performance improvement efforts are aligned with organizational goals and are consistently measured and monitored.
Steering committees dedicated to performance improvement play a crucial role in guiding initiatives, while accelerated data abstraction processes ensure that actionable insights are generated quickly. Additionally, BJH has placed significant emphasis on maintaining accurate coding and documentation through Biome’s Risk Audits, ensuring compliance and enhancing the quality of clinical data. This is coupled with an organization-wide commitment to continuous quality improvement, fostering a culture that embraces data-driven decision-making.
Dr. Alan Zajarias, Professor of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis, highlighted the importance of comparing BJH’s performance against similar institutions. “With Biome’s data, we can see how we compare to other like institutions, in addition to identifying areas that may require attention. This is something that we do routinely and has triggered multiple quality improvement initiatives that are well underway,” he said.
Furthermore, Casey Rowe, Director of Operations for Heart, Vascular, and Transplant Services, emphasized the value of real-time access to clinical, operational, and financial data. “Biome allows all of our data from a variety of different sources to be on one integrated platform, which is key in our ability to look in real-time as to what’s going on,” said Rowe. “Biome also allows us to benchmark ourselves against peers in the industry, and that is something that is very important for us to identify areas for both growth and cost-savings.”
The ability to integrate and analyze data from multiple sources on a single platform has been a game-changer for BJH, enabling better decision-making and helping the hospital identify growth opportunities and areas where costs can be reduced. This powerful tool also facilitates collaboration across departments, as all teams can access the same insights and work together to improve patient outcomes.
Listen to the Podcast
To learn more about the collaboration between Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Biome Analytics, including the key success factors discussed by BJH leaders, visit Biome’s insights page. For additional information about Biome, you can contact them at [email protected].
About Barnes-Jewish Hospital
Barnes-Jewish Hospital, located in St. Louis, Missouri, and affiliated with Washington University School of Medicine, is a not-for-profit academic medical center offering over 1,300 licensed beds and a wide range of specialized care services. Part of BJC HealthCare’s integrated health network, BJH is committed to excellence in clinical care, education, and research. The hospital strives to advance healthcare and improve lives through compassionate and innovative services, particularly in cardiology, oncology, neurology, and other specialized fields.
