Improving Performance in Practice (Overview)
The healthcare system has become very complex, with
multiple competing demands and several impending changes
such as pay for performance, physician recertification,
electronic health records, electronic information
sharing, e-prescribing, etc. Although many primary care
practices understand the need for changes, most do not
have the resources or infrastructure to make those
needed changes. Improving Performance in Practice (IPIP)
is aimed at transforming the way we deliver healthcare
by giving doctors the tools, systems and support they
need.
IPIP will provide in-office assistance to physician
practices to improve quality of care, efficiency and
satisfaction for both patients and the healthcare team.
This innovative approach allows physicians and their
office staff to analyze processes of care and redesign
practice specific mechanisms to improve patient care -
without leaving the practice setting. Practices will
initially use diabetes and asthmas as the content around
which to develop efficient patient-centered systems
(that can then be used as they expand to other areas).
Methods
The use of a Quality Improvement Consultant (QIC) is the
primary strategy of the IPIP program. The QIC will work
onsite with the practice leadership team to develop a
practice-specific redesign plan. The plan may utilize
the resources of collaborating experts in multiple areas
including but not limited to:
-
Implementation
of systems change
-
Disease registries
-
Quality improvement principles
-
Work
flow analysis
-
Advanced access scheduling
-
Chronic Care Model
-
Population-based care management
-
Team building and communication
-
Patient centered medical home
Regional Collaborative Meetings
Each region in the state holds quarterly
mini-conferences (regional collaborative meetings).
These meetings (held in the evening, over dinner, and
usually at the regional AHEC), are designed to provide
information, education, networking, and learning.
There are many benefits to participating in the
collaborative:
-
national level experts associated with IPIP
provide content as well as initiative updates;
-
practices have the opportunity to make
mini-presentations to showcase their work in
quality improvement;
-
participants share information, brainstorm, and
problem solve around practice issues ;
-
regional quality improvement goals for the next
three months will be set.
More about IPIP:
