Abstract:

Preparing for his hospital's monthly board meeting, the CEO of Poudre Valley Health System in Fort Collins, CO, was wrestling with whether or not to recommend that his hospital continue to participate in the International Patient Safety Collaborative (IPSC) which he had helped to found a couple of years earlier with several American and Israeli health care institutions. Using an approach developed by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, the IPSC hospitals had had some success in sharing best practices for reducing hospital acquired infections (HAIs) and adverse drug effects (ADEs). The CEO valued the relationships he had built with his other collaborators, and the potential for quality improvement as well as building bridges in the Middle East, but wondered if the outcomes were worth the costs and difficulties associated with the collaborative. 

Notes:

Case and teaching note available upon request from author.