The opportunity to collaborate on research and quality improvement initiatives with neonatal intensive care programs at the nation’s top children’s hospitals is a key benefit of CHOC’s membership in the Children’s Hospitals Neonatal Consortium (CHNC). Dedicated to optimizing neonatal care, the CHNC is led by neonatologists, fellows, nurses, respiratory therapists and other NICU champions for quality and patient safety. In addition to being pediatric tertiary referral centers, members must have level IV NICUs with a minimum of 25 beds and annual admissions greater than 400, of which at least half come from out-born deliveries.
The Children’s Hospitals Neonatal Database (CHND) serves as the platform for the consortium’s quality improvement efforts and benchmarking research. As of July 2016, the database covered more than:
- 108,000 patients
- 120,000 admissions
- 6 million patient days
- 78,000 surgical procedures
“CHND is not your typical NICU database,” explains Dr. Michel Mikhael, a neonatologist who will serve as the consortium’s physician sponsor on behalf of CHOC. “NICU patients at children’s hospitals are different from those treated at perinatal NICUs. Many of our patients have pre-existing diagnoses or complications and are at a higher risk of poor outcomes. Even though our patient population has the highest resource utilization, we – as a collective group – do not have much shared data.”
The database will help members
- identify variations in diagnoses and outcomes
- improve care in specialized populations
- provide better information for families
- provide guidance for local, state and national mandates
- ensure appropriate reimbursement by improved, detailed documentation
CHOC will begin submitting data in April 2017, says Dr. Mikhael, who is already preparing for a strong CHOC presence at CHNC’s annual meeting in October, with small baby unit, surgical NICU and other quality improvement and research projects presented. The ultimate goal will be for CHOC’s neonatology team to contribute and participate in multicenter research projects and publications.
For more information about CHOC’s role in CHNC and its participation in the consortium’s database, contact Dr. Michel Mikhael at mmikhael@choc.org.
