Battelle WayFinder QI Dashboard Adds Within-Hospital Readmissions Analysis and NHSN Measures

COLUMBUS, OH--(Marketwired - June 15, 2016) - Battelle announced today the release of version 2.2 of its WayFinder QI Dashboard, an affordable, advanced analytics tool for hospitals and hospital networks to track and analyze Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and other quality metrics. Version 2.2 includes several new features, including enhanced assessment of within-hospital readmissions and monitoring of performance on Center for Disease Control (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) measures. This announcement follows the national rollout of WayFinder in September 2015.

Enhanced assessment of readmissions within-hospital will help hospitals break down composite readmission data and further examine readmission cases. This ability to conduct readmission analysis directly addresses hospitals' immediate need to avoid readmission penalties and better prepare for the increasing adoption of value-based payment structures. In 2015, government records show nearly 2,600 hospitals lost a total of $420 million in federal readmissions penalties, according to a Kaiser Health News report.

Monitoring performance on NHSN measures will help administrators track hospital-associated infections, blood safety errors, infection control adherence rates and other safety process measures aligned with NHSN guidelines.

Additional features in version 2.2 include:

• The addition of the Hospital Engagement Network (HEN) benchmark for all HEN hospitals
• Updates of the AHRQ and AHRQ composite measures to SAS QI V5.0 for all years and quarters back to 2008
• The addition training videos to the Learn More page

"We are very excited to announce the new analytics features now available through the WayFinder QI Dashboard. The new capabilities were designed specifically to address some of the key pain points hospitals are facing today," said Warren Strauss, Director of Advanced Analytics and Health Research at Battelle. "This advanced analysis will help hospitals improve care, gather valuable insights to lower readmission rates and ultimately provide contribute to enhancing experiences and outcomes for patients."

Battelle's WayFinder solution differentiates itself from competitors by accelerating the time-to-value for hospitals by securing insights from AHRQ quality data quickly, cutting a process that previously took as much as two years down to mere months. By eliminating this "seven-quarter lag," which is the typical timeline for AHRQ reporting, hospitals will have access to fresher QI data, enabling them to better understand what's happening in their systems and make informed decisions more quickly.

The WayFinder QI Dashboard is currently being rolled out by the Ohio Hospital Association to its members as part of the CMS Hospital Engagement Network program.

"Data analytics are an integral component of the process to improve patient safety and health care quality," said Mike Abrams, president and CEO, OHA. "These new features build upon WayFinder's already robust data analysis capability to provide OHA member hospitals with an advanced tool for improving healthcare quality and patient care."

For more information on about Battelle's WayFinder software and how it is being used by OHA, visit www.ohiohospitals.org/wayfinder.

About Battelle

Every day, the people of Battelle apply science and technology to solving what matters most. At major technology centers and national laboratories around the world, Battelle conducts research and development, designs and manufactures products, and delivers critical services for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio since its founding in 1929, Battelle serves the national security, health and life sciences, and energy and environmental industries. For more information, visit www.battelle.org.