Building Healthier Futures: Advancing Pediatric Care Through Improvement Science

At Rady Children’s Health, a newly formed pediatric health care system uniting the expertise of Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego and Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), we are reimagining what pediatric health care can be. Serving six Southern California counties across three hospital campuses and multiple primary and specialty care centers, our mission is clear: improve outcomes, expand access, and create healthier futures for every child.

This December at the IHI Forum, we will open our doors to showcase how improvement science is shaping our journey. From integrating care models to embedding research into daily practice, we are building a system that learns and improves in real time.

Improvement in Action

At Rady Children’s Health, improvement is more than a set of tools; it is our culture. We have intentionally built the capacity, capability, and common language needed to become a true learning organization. With this foundation, improvement work has been decentralized and is owned by teams across the organization so that those closest to the work can test, learn, and lead meaningful change.

This cultural shift means that improvement is no longer a side project; it is the way we work. We apply a disciplined approach using advanced methods such as factorial design (studying the impact of multiple changes at once) and other improvement science tools to drive solutions that make care safer, more efficient, and family-centered. 

Tackling Complex Challenges

Our projects span safety, efficiency, and workforce well-being:

• Surgical efficiency: Text message reminders help ensure first-case, on-time surgical starts.
• Family experience: Data-driven outreach strategies optimize scheduling and reduce missed appointments.
• Safety culture: Through the BETA HEART program, we are advancing a nationally recognized safety journey.
• Burnout reduction and joy in work: By listening to staff voices and testing new approaches to teamwork, recognition, and workflow, we are reducing moral distress and helping our caregivers feel supported and energized.
• Room cleaning turnaround time: Teams are applying rapid cycle testing to improve room turnover, ensuring patients move quickly and safely into clean, ready environments.

Each improvement initiative led or mentored by our quality team and an Improvement Advisor (IA) reflects how disciplined improvement efforts, guided by direct care staff and improvement leaders, translate into better experiences and outcomes for children and families.

Why This Matters

Improvement science is more than methodology; it’s a mindset. By uniting research and improvement, we are transforming Rady Children’s Health into a true learning health system, where discovery and delivery happen side by side. Families see the benefits directly in safer care, quicker access, and treatments informed by the latest science.

Behind the Scenes

Visitors to our Orange campus during the December IHI Forum will see this work firsthand. The tour will highlight our WellSpace initiative, which creates calming, school-like environments to help students unwind and connect with health and wellness resources. Attendees will also explore the Sharon Disney Lund Medical Intelligence, Information, Investigation, and Innovation Institute (Mi4), where teams are applying AI to tackle system challenges. Finally, participants will tour our new state-of-the-art ambulatory care building, a unique healing space where science and care converge.

Don’t miss this opportunity to see how bold innovation, improvement methods, and community partnerships are shaping a new era in pediatric health.

Emma Sandhu is the VP, Chief Quality & Patient Safety Officer at CHOC Children’s Hospital, Rady Children’s Health.

Sandip Godambe, MD, PhD, MBA, is the Chief Medical Officer, SVP Medical Affairs at CHOC Children’s Hospital, Rady Children’s Health.

Photo by Ortopediatri Çocuk Ortopedi Akademisi

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