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Greetings!
Since NQC and HIVQUAL-US have merged, there are many new consultants available throughout the country to assist grantees in their quality management programs. All the NQC consultants are experienced experts in quality improvement principles and practice. This issue will introduce a new section titles Consultant Spotlight. We want to introduce some of our newer consultants to our readers which will also give you an idea how the NQC Team has expanded under the new grant.
Send us your comments.
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> NQC News | NQC at the All Grantee Meeting
It's that time again! Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) will be sponsoring the Ryan White All Grantee Meeting. NQC will once again be offering two Quality Tracks with various sessions on quality management principles and practice and other exciting workshops. You will learn the fundamentals of quality management, measuring quality in your program, the elements to build a successful quality management program, building and using regional groups, using the NQC Organization Assessment tool and much more. Workshops will be posted to the NQC website.
NQC will once again be developing a brochure that lists all the different Quality Management workshops being offered at the AGM. NQC would like to include the workshops of any grantees that are focused on Quality Management principles or practice. Please send information about your approved workshops to Kevin@NationalQualityCenter by October 19.
NQC will also be exhibiting at the AGM. Stop by our booth and take advantage of the many quality improvement resources NQC will be offering. The AGM offers the perfect opportunity to meet some of NQC's expert quality improvement coaches who can answer your questions and assist you in your work.
To see a complete listing of the workshops and exhibit booth hours, please visit | http://nationalqualitycenter.org/index.cfm/6012
Learn more about the AGM | http://ryanwhite2012.com/ |
> NQC News | in+care Campaign: The First Year
Happy Anniversary! Just one year ago, NQC and the HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau launched the in+care Campaign, a national initiative for the Ryan White community that is designed to bring patients back to care and keep others from falling out of care. When patients stay in care they get the services that they need, leading to healthier people and stronger communities.
The Campaign involves self-reporting of performance data by participating HIV providers, documenting the potential impact that Ryan White providers are having across the country in improving the health of HIV-infected individuals.
Since its inception, there have been many significant accomplishments:
- 529 individuals from 459 organizations in 272 cities across 46 states and territories are participating
- Participating providers reach more than 445,000 consumer (not unduplicated)
- Conducted 21 webinar programs (10 general webinars, 6 journal clubs, 5 partners in+care)
- Quality coaches are available to all Campaign participants
- 43 Local Quality Champions operate Local Retention Groups in 25 areas across the U.S.-which comprises 70% of Campaign participating sites
- Nearly 60% of Campaign participants have submitted retention data in our Campaign database at least once and 25% have reported retention improvement strategies to Campaign staff at least once
- 620 people from the HIV-infected and affected communities have signed up to become Partners in+care
While a lot went on in the first year, NQC intends to build on the momentum during the second year.
Coming soon....
- More great webinar programming that is based on cutting edge research and draws from lessons we are learning from the provider community. If you have any ideas for webinar programs, or would like to suggest a topic for a webinar, contact Michael Hager at michael@nationalqualitycenter.org.
- New ways to look at submitted performance data including state-by-state comparisons and comparisons by provider type (i.e., hospital, community health center, AIDS service organization, etc).
- New ways to share improvement strategies with others in the field, which will increase the body of literature focusing on retention.
Learn more about the in+care Campaign | www.incarecampaign.org |
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> October 2012 | Issue 51 | Volume 6 |
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> Upcoming Events | June - July 2012 |
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Nov 15 | National TA call | Quality in Hard Times
Nov 27-29 | All Grantee Meeting | Washington, DC |
> HIVQUAL Update | Earn Maintenance of Certification Credit through HIVQUAL
The New York State Department of Health is approved as an American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Portfolio Sponsor beginning September 2011 through December 2013. Physicians who are engaged in quality improvement through HIVQUAL and/or NQC activities can earn Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Part IV practice credit from the following medical specialty boards: Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Emergency Medicine, Dermatology, Preventive Medicine, Surgery, Allergy and Immunology, Medical Genetics, Otolaryngology, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Learn more | hivqualus.org/index.php?q=hq-us-and-american-board-medical-specialties-program
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> Real World Quality | Sarah McPhee, MPH
In May 2011 Sarah McPhee became the Program Manager for the New Hampshire CARE Program, which receives both Ryan White Part A and B funds. One of the items on her "to do" list was to develop a new quality management plan. As part of the ground work for updating the plan, Sarah used resources and tools from the NQC website, such as sample plans and timelines. She also participated in the monthly technical assistance calls conducted by NQC
But then the work was put on hold for maternity leave. Once back in the office, Sarah contacted NQC to get more support in developing the quality management plan. NQC staff conducted an initial assessment of the work in progress by phone, which lead to further refinement of the quality management plan. Sarah has continued to interact with NQC staff, e-mailing specific questions about performance measures and other key components. NQC will also be assigning a coach to provide guidance in the development of the quality management plan.
"We are still in the early stages," says Sarah. "We are at a point where we are developing new contracts with our providers and we want to make sure that we include the necessary quality-related activities and link these activities to our overall quality management plan."
In the coming months Sarah will be writing a revised quality management plan, implementing new contracts with subawardees, receiving onsite technical assistance from NQC along with nurturing her new daughter. A busy lady indeed! |
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> Consumer Perspective | Paul Goulet
As facilitator of the Massachusetts Statewide Consumer Advisor Board (SWCAB) and Director of the Consumer Office for the Massachusetts Department of Health's Office of HIV/AIDS, Paul Goulet makes sure that information flows in many directions. He works with the various Consumer Advisory Boards (CABs) across the state to ensure that consumer input is integrated into all the Office of HIV/AIDS' policy, programmatic, and budget decisions. He also works with providers to ensure that they are effectively integrating the input from their own CABs in the decision making process. At the consumer level, he helps consumers resolve their issues with providers and works with them to build their advocacy skills.
"So many consumers come to us with issues related to the quality of care and other services," says Paul. "We need to work with both the providers and consumers to make sure that consumer involvement in quality improvement activities is really happening."
Paul uses a variety of NQC resources in his work. Attending the Training of Consumers for Quality (TCQ) workshop helped lay a solid foundation in terms of both the practical knowledge related to quality and how to engage and train consumers in the process. He uses the NQC's consumer-oriented resources such as Making Sure Your HIV Care the Best It Can Be. "I regularly check the website for resources when I have questions," says Paul. "And I am always able to quickly find the answers I need."
In the coming months, Paul anticipates accessing NQC resources even more frequently. "We are planning a consumer day for next March and hope to provide training on how consumers can be involved in quality-related activities," says Paul. "We are exploring the possibility of offering workshops led by NQC trainers."
In particular, Paul would like to include training on how to use statistics and data to make programmatic decisions. "Consumers can be intimidated by data," says Paul. "The training I received from the NQC helped me understand how to use data effectively and I think our consumers could really benefit from this type of training." |
> Highlights from the NQC Collection | Health Literacy
Health literacy is defined by Healthy People 2010 as, "The degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions." Key components of health literacy include:
- Evaluate information for credibility and quality
- Analyze relative risks and benefits
- Calculate dosages
- Interpret test results
- Locate health information
Health care providers can help their patients improve their health literacy. However, there are many barriers to health literacy such as language, culture, education level, and socioeconomic status. NQC has developed a variety of resources to help providers understand the challenges created by low health literacy and take steps to improve health literacy among their patients.
Previous Technical Assistance Calls
Improving Health Literacy, October 18, 2012
To be posted on the NQC website under Past TA Calls | http://nationalqualitycenter.org/index.cfm/17414
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National Quality Center
New York State Department of Health
AIDS Institute
90 Church Street, 13th floor
New York, NY 10007-2919
Phone | 212.417.4730
Fax | 212.417.4684
Email | Info@NationalQualityCenter.org
Sharing, Training, Consulting.
Improving HIV Care.
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