The untold story of COVID-19’s impact on healthcare quality: Part two

In part one of the untold story of COVID-19’s impact on healthcare quality, we looked at the negative effect COVID-19 has had on the U.S. healthcare system. Now, let’s look on the bright side.  

Innovating during crisis

The pandemic spurred unexpected innovation in healthcare delivery. Telehealth consultations, which were once seen as a niche option only, became a game changer. Its use surged during the pandemic with remote monitoring of COVID-19 patients, along with virtual consultations for non-critical cases, which helped reduce unnecessary hospital visits and exposure risks. Specialists were able to remotely consult with critically ill patients via video conferencing, and virtual visits became the norm of healthcare delivery for patients with chronic conditions. Data indicates a staggering 78-fold increase in overall telehealth use for office visits and outpatient care in April 2022 compared to February 2020.

Stewards of quality care

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) National Quality Strategy aims to return to pre-pandemic safety metrics by 2025 and to reduce harm by an additional 25% by 2030. Clinical documentation integrity (CDI) specialists will play a crucial role in achieving these goals. Here’s how: 

• Educating healthcare providers: CDI specialists ensure accurate and comprehensive documentation of patient encounters. They review medical records, educate on documentation importance and collaborate with healthcare systems to help ensure clear, concise and accurate clinical documentation.
• Enhancing documentation accuracy: CDI specialists advocate for the use of standardized terminology and coding practices in all healthcare settings. This ensures consistency in reporting and coding, exact identification of quality metric measures and effective comparison of data across different health settings. Such accurate documentation facilitates root cause analysis, quality improvements and helps to identify missing clinical information that could have a quality impact.
• Finding risk factors and prevention strategies: CDI specialists analyze data trends related to quality measures. They find specific units, procedures or patient population with higher prevalence and report findings to leadership. This data-driven approach allows for the development of targeted prevention strategies to address areas of substantial risk and fosters a culture of quality.
• Training healthcare providers: CDI specialists provide training on proper documentation practices. This includes information on standardized terminology, reporting requirements and best practices for clinical documentation, which are crucial for enhancing patient safety and healthcare quality metrics.

Looking forward

As we look ahead to a post-pandemic future, it’s clear that COVID-19’s impact on healthcare quality metrics will be felt for years to come. These challenges may seem daunting, but they present the opportunity for collaboration and transformation.

Quality improvement initiatives have taken on renewed urgency as hospitals seek to rebuild trust and confidence in the healthcare system. Data analytics and performance monitoring tools are being leveraged to improve patient outcomes and optimize resource utilization. Infection control protocols are being enhanced to mitigate the risk of nosocomial transmission of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. And hospitals are investing in state-of-the-art ventilation systems, personal protective equipment (PPE) stockpiles and environmental cleaning protocols to create safe and secure environments.

By prioritizing patient safety, embracing innovation, and fostering collaboration, healthcare systems and hospitals have emerged from the COVID-19 era stronger and more resilient. This transformation will reaffirm their commitment to delivering high-quality, accessible care to all.

Javier Ortiz is a clinical development analyst for the Health Information Systems business at Solventum.