Sep 24, 2025

During the fall 2022 respiratory virus surge, pediatric emergency departments and urgent cares across the country experienced record volumes and long waits. A multidisciplinary team at Children’s Hospital Colorado North Campus combined ED/UC used rapid-cycle quality improvement methods to respond in real time. By repurposing administrative offices into new patient care space, creating a provider-led intake system, and optimizing staffing, the team reduced Left Without Being Seen (LWBS) rates from a peak of 40% to < 5% and shortened door-to-provider times despite unprecedented demand. These quick, low-cost interventions sustained performance gains even after the surge subsided, strengthening long-term patient flow and safety.

Sep 2, 2025

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) often come to the emergency department (ED) for severe pain, but care can vary across hospitals. This study looked at more than 9,000 ED visits in the U.S. to see whether giving opioid pain medicine quickly affected hospital admissions. Children who received their first dose within 60 minutes were less likely to be hospitalized, and the chance of admission dropped even further when a second dose was given within 30 minutes. These findings highlight the importance of timely pain treatment and suggest that faster opioid delivery can improve outcomes and reduce unnecessary hospital stays for children with SCD.

Aug 6, 2025

A landmark study led by infectious diseases specialists at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus/Children’s Hospital Colorado was recently published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The article is the first from a multicenter clinical research pilot study run through the National Institutes of Health's Vaccine Research Center’s Pandemic REsponse REpository through Microbial and Immune Surveillance and Epidemiology (PREMISE) program. The PREMISE pilot study conducts immunologic surveillance and data collected from the first year, 2022-2023, provides insight into what was driving the large post-pandemic rebound of common respiratory pathogens in children. Data also allowed for the recreation of past viral circulation patterns and model predictions for future outbreaks with greater accuracy and precision, helping hospitals, health agencies, and policymakers better prepare for future outbreaks.

Jul 1, 2025

A large academic acute care therapy department successfully transformed from discipline-based teams to an interdisciplinary service-line structure, achieving measurable improvements in staff productivity, morale, and operational efficiency. Led by IHQSE-trained leaders, this quality improvement project followed Kotter’s 8 Steps for Leading Change and was implemented over the course of a year. Outcomes included improved staff-to-supervisor ratios, direct patient assignments, and an increase in staff engagement. This work offers a blueprint for other health systems navigating growth, burnout, and operational challenges through structured, data-informed change.