Improving Quality and Utilization of Outpatient Rehabilitation Services

"Lutheran HealthCare has embarked on a strategic plan to expand its rehabilitation services. A primary goal is to improve the referral rate from Lutheran Medical Center to Lutheran Family Health Centers' outpatient rehabilitation centers, promoting continuity of care and increasing outpatient rehabilitation service utilization. The Capstone team examined and analyzed the referral process by utilizing quality improvement tools and conducting interviews with key constituents. The Capstone team produced recommendations, as well as implementation and evaluation mechanisms to: obtain staff accountability and ownership of the process; establish patient and physician education standards throughout the entire process; and improve quality of the data collection system. "