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Cerner go‑live, quality metrics and OB residency pause cited as factors in lower volumes and service disruption
Summary
Board members and staff described the hospital’s recent Cerner electronic record implementation, continuing quality work, and a Meharry decision to pause its OB residency as contributors to lower deliveries and temporary reductions in clinic and surgery volumes.
Hospital leaders and department directors told the Hospital Authority board that the hospital’s switch to Cerner and other operational changes contributed to short‑term reductions in patient volumes and had measurable effects on quality metrics during the period reviewed.
Felicia Denson, director of quality and patient safety, presented a 2024 quality overview and results from a culture of safety/employee engagement measure. Denson reported an employee engagement score of 3.92 out of 5, hand hygiene adherence of 87 percent, five months without a health‑care‑acquired infection event in 2024 and an average medication barcode scanning rate of 96 percent. She said the Leapfrog grade relevant to the period was a C and noted the hospital has since improved other measures.
Denson and others explained the hospital’s severe sepsis bundle adherence suffered in part because of a national shortage of blood culture supplies and because Cerner alerts and workflows were being established during the transition. She said the sepsis metric for the period was 33.7 percent and that Cerner‑driven alerts and workflow changes are being implemented to improve timeliness.
Veronica Elders, chief nursing officer, and others said go‑live for Cerner occurred in November/December and that the standard operational approach — reduced scheduling during the initial weeks of an electronic health record implementation — helped explain lower clinic throughput in December and January. The board packet noted a 27 percent year‑to‑date decline in deliveries, which hospital leaders tied partly to Meharry Medical College’s decision to pause its OB residency program effective June 30; leaders said Meharry‑affiliated OB and pediatric providers would remain and medical students would continue rotating.
Board members and staff also discussed safety initiatives such as a “Good Catch” program to report near misses, daily leadership safety huddles with 24‑hour resolution targets for urgent safety items, and reinstitution of provider evaluations and peer review processes.
Hospital leaders said they will continue to monitor quality metrics and to report progress in monthly updates to the board as the Cerner implementation matures and as negotiations with Meharry continue.
