Mission physician Christina McQuiston, M.B. Ch.B., was a poster finalist at the recent annual meeting of the Society of Hospital Medicine held in Washington, D.C. Her poster, “Re-engineering the Management of Patients with Hip Fracture in a Community Hospital Setting,” was one of the only posters from a community hospital to make the final round of the competition.
The poster represented the culmination of Dr. McQuiston’s two-year Practice Change Fellowship, which focused on leadership in geriatric care. It highlighted a multidisciplinary team initiative to reduce the cost of orthopedic care and average length of stay at Mission Hospital, while standardizing care, increasing proactive medical management of hip fracture patients, addressing osteoporosis treatment and improving care transition. The poster showcased a steep drop in readmission rates for hip fracture patients, and a turnaround from net losses to positive net income per case.
The participation of Mission’s hospitalists, orthopedic nurses and orthopedic surgeons was key to the success of the project, Dr. McQuiston said. The work continues as she and colleagues further explore ways to improve patient care. Dr. McQuiston is medical director, Mission Senior Services, and a member of Asheville Hospitalist Group, a practice of Mission Medical Associates. The M.B. Ch.B degree which Dr. McQuiston holds is the British equivalent to the U.S. medical degree.
Dr. McQuiston is a native of Scotland. The poster was selected for judging from among 390 total submissions, of which there were 18 finalists in the “Research” category, 19 in the “Innovations” category and 59 in the “Vignettes” category. Only one winner was selected for each category. The poster is on display in the Physician Lounge at Mission Hospital.
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