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NQC e-Newsletter |  Your expert guide to resources and technical assistance focusing on improving HIV care.

 

Greetings,      

 

Now is your chance to make a difference. By submitting your improvement strategies and quality improvment tools, you are helping other HIV providers across the country fine-tune their own improvement efforts. The National Quality Center is focusing this month on peer sharing and offers two options. We encourage providers to submit:

Together we can make a difference.

 

Wam regards,

 

Clemens Steinbock

Director, National Quality Center

Clemens@NationalQualityCenter.org

> In This Issue

> NQC News | Share Senselessly: Quality Management Plans Wanted
> NQC News | in+care Campaign Update
> NQC News | May TA Call Recap
> Real World Quality | Lisa Muttiah
> Consumer Perspective | Carlisle Harvey, Sr.
> NQC Consultant Spotlight | Sherry Martin
> NQC Offering | Job Forum
>Update | HIV/AIDS Bureau's Performance Measure Portfolio: SAVE THE DATE
> Highlights from the NQC Collection | Past TA Calls and Resources

> NQC News | Share Senselessly: Quality Management Plans Wanted

 

Peer learning is an important aspect of NQC's approach-from our collaboratives, to our interactive trainings, to the sharing of resources. We ask Ryan White grantees to "share senselessly" which actually makes a lot of sense. Sharing resources allows others to benefit from your hard works and saves time and resources-they do not have to re-invent the wheel. Please visit the NQC site and upload your written quality management plan so that we can share it with your Ryan White peers.  We are looking for quality management plans from all the Ryan White Parts.
 

Share your plan today! | click here

> NQC News | in+care Campaign Update

 

The in+care Campaign topic for the month for June is Latinos and Retention. We are looking at Latino who are American citizens for generations to those who have immigrated legally, to those who have immigrated illegally, to those who migrate in and out of the U.S. seasonally. The Partners in+care webinar for the month of June will be conducted in Spanish.

Monday June 24 at 2pm ET | in+care Campaign | Latinos and Retention
Tuesday June 25 at 1pm ET | Partners in+care | Spanish Language Webinar


With nearly 200 entities submitting data on up to 100,000 people with HIV into the in+care Campaign database, the Campaign is beginning to show longitudinal improvement in both retention and viral suppression. Currently, gaps in care are down to 14 percent from 16 percent at baseline, medical visit frequency (persistence in care) is up to 68 percent from 63 percent at baseline, and viral suppression has eked up to 71 percent from 70 percent at baseline. The only Campaign measure that has lagged is the new patient measure (linkage in care), which has a smaller sample size and less stable performance measurement over time. New editions of the enhanced reports will be posted to the Campaign website soon. These reports will include analyses by facility case load, Ryan White Part funding, and facility type.  You can find these reports at the Campaign website within the Resources tab and in the Enhanced Campaign Reports folder.


One of the most critical components of the in+care Campaign is the collection of quality improvement strategies related to retention in+care. NQC and Campaign staff seek to disseminate and spread successes in improving retention in HIV care around the U.S. Telling Campaign staff about what you are doing to improve retention in HIV care at your organization is as simple as visiting this link and completing four short questions. Improvement strategies submitted by participants continue to organize around several central themes:
 

  • Communication with patients
  • Communication with external providers
  • Training of providers (ideally bringing people together from across agencies within a region/locality for group discussion/learning)
  • Training of patients on health literacy and numeracy
  • Peer or trained professional navigators to increase patient understanding of health information
  • Implementation of data management plans to ensure all necessary data captured and validated
  • Assessment of patients for their retention barriers (after asking a CAB or other group of consumers for the universe of possible barriers locally) and provision of services to alleviate barriers to every extent possible
  • Co-location of services with community collaborators (especially providers of different service types, like medical, mental health, addictions, nutrition, case management, etc)
  • Routine assessment of staff and patient experiences and sharing of evaluation findings to both consumer and staff stakeholders

Finally, the in+care Campaign is gearing up for its next six months of active programming. If you have any suggestions or topics of interest either regarding a specific intervention type or a specific sub-population, please write to Michael Hager (Michael@NationalQualityCenter.org) to discuss the possibility of making it onto our calendar. Campaign staff is always looking for opportunities to provide the Ryan White provider community with material that they find to be value-added.


Learn more about the in+care Campaign | www.incarecampaign.org

> NQC News | May TA Call Recap 

 

In May, NQC hosted a special National Technical Assistance Call featuring internationally recognized expert Dr. Julio Montaner, Clinical Director for the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and Professor of Medicine at the University of British Columbia in Canada. He is the former President of the International AIDS Society from 2008-2010. During the call, Dr. Montaner shared his optimism for curtailing the HIV epidemic through treatment.

Dr. Montaner discussed the state of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in British Columbia and throughout Canada, reporting promising findings from treatment as prevention studies he has conducted. He emphasized the importance of treating HIV infected individuals for several reasons. First and foremost, it is important to treat patients to improve their health and increase their life expectancy. Dr. Montaner has also participated in studies indicating that treatment reduces community transmission rates. Another important finding is that although the cost of treating as many patients as possible is high initially, a large number of studies suggest treating all patients now will save a large amount of money over the long term.


If you missed the call, an archived version is available.


Listen to this call | click here
 

> Real World Quality: Lisa Muttiah

 

There's big and then there is "Texas Big." Tarrant County Public Health (TCPH), based in Fort Worth, serves a 38 county area. As a recipient of Part A, B, C, and D, TCPH sites come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Lisa Muttiah, HIV Quality Management Advisor for TCPH, is responsible for coordinating quality-related activities across a wide range of services and sites. Lisa's responsibilities include leading the quality management committee, updating the quality management plan, and identifying performance measures. She is also responsible for providing technical assistance and training.

In her training and technical assistance work, Lisa uses numerous NQC materials. Having attended both the NQC Training-of-Trainers and Training on Coaching Basics workshops, Lisa received hands-on training on how to use some of NQC's tools.

"It was useful to see first-hand during the training how the various tools are used," says Lisa. "The activities focus on important skills such as team work. Every time I use an activity during a training, someone asks if they can borrow it."

Lisa also uses various NQC training manuals in her work with providers and encourages them to participate in NQC Technical Assistance Calls. According to Lisa, the manuals are very thorough and lead the reader through the process-providing structure, specific materials, and clear directions.

"The NQC tools are useful regardless of skill level and experience," says Lisa. "I have a set of 'go to' tools that I know will work for almost everyone."

 

To learn more about the National TA Calls  l  click here

> NQC e-Newsletter | Volume 6 | Issue 60 | Jun 2013 

 

Quick Links

  

> Upcoming Events | June

June 6-7 | Part C/D Initiative Regional Training, New Brunswick, NJ

June 7-9 | Training of Consumers for Quality, Sacramento, CA

June 26-27 | Part C/D Initiative Regional Training, Charlotte, SC

June 20 | National TA Call | HAB Performance Measure Portfolio Update

June 24 | 2pm ET in+care Campaign | Latinos and Retention

June 25 | 1pm ET Partners in+care | Spanish Language Webinar

> Consumer Perspective: Carlisle Harvey, Sr. 

 

Meetings are a fact of life for Carlisle Harvey, Sr. He is a member of the Greater Baltimore HIV Health Service Planning Council, which sets priorities for the allocation of Part A funds, and is Chair of the Council's Nominating Committee. He is also the Chair of the Evelyn Jordan Center's (EJC) Consumer Advisory Board (CAB) and participates on EJC's quality management team. Participation in NQC's Training of Consumers on Quality (TCQ) Program, which was held in 2012, helped Carlisle to take his involvement to a new level.


"At the workshop I learned that consumers could be more active in our health care. I knew we had a voice but I did not realize how strong it could be and the impact we can have," says Carlisle. "We can really play a role in shaping the care we receive."


Carlisle has shared NQC resources with EJC staff and also used information from NQC to write a proposal urging more consumer involvement in the organization. In his role as Chair of the CAB he hears directly from consumers about their concerns. Then, as a member of the quality management team, he can explore strategies for addressing the concerns.


"I can tell them directly where the gaps are and what is lacking," says Carlisle.  But his feedback is not all negative. "I also tell them what they are doing well."


It was following the NQC workshop that Carlisle increased his involvement on the Planning Council-he was elected as Chair of the Nominating Committee.


"I saw an opportunity and knew that I should bring my voice to the process," says Carlisle.

 

To learn more about the TCQ Program  l  click here

> NQC Consultant Spotlight: Sherry Martin 

 

A health care executive and quality improvement expert, Sharon K. Martin, M.Ed, MT (ASCP) SC  was most recently Vice President, Performance Improvement, at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for ten years. An expert in patient safety, Sherry developed a quality improvement education program for clinicians at M.D. Anderson and was subsequently appointed as a University of Texas Vice Chancellor's Health Fellow to expand this program to all health care components in the UT System. While at M.D. Anderson, she chaired the Texas Hospital Quality and Safety Committee, the Texas Forum for Patient Safety, the Texas Patient Safety Alliance Board, and the Nevada Cancer Institute Board Quality and Patient Safety Committee.


She lectures nationally and internationally on tools and methods for health care education, quality improvement, organizational assessment, and team performance. She served on the Board of Examiners, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, as a Senior and Alumni Examiner for seven years. A certified Birkman Method consultant, Sherry uses this methodology to optimize personal, team, and organizational performance. She has conducted team development and coaching programs with numerous executive leadership teams, including senior leaders at City of Hope, Biosense Webster, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and Winship Cancer Center at Emory University.


Sherry received a Master's Degree in Educational Design from the University of Houston and a certificate in health care administration from Baylor College of Medicine. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Medical Technology from the University of Utah. 

> NQC Offering | Job Forum

 

What good are all NQC's great resources if your organization doesn't have anyone to use them? To help Ryan White grantees fill their quality-related job vacancies, NQC established the Job Forum. On the Forum, Ryan White Program grantees can post quality improvement-related vacancies. In addition, NQC maintains sample quality improvement job descriptions from grantees.


If you have a vacancy, please post your job description. If you are looking for a job, be sure to check out the Job Forum regularly.


Visit the Job Forum | click here

> Update | HIV/AIDS Bureau's Performancy Measure Portfolio: SAVE THE DATE

 

This month's NQC National TA Call will feature a presentation from HAB on its HAB Measures. The HIV/AIDS Bureau is revising the portfolio of performance measures.  The goal is a fit performance measure portfolio which will be achieved through 1) emphasizing priorities; 2) aligning with other federal measures programs; and 3) being efficient and cost effective.  Two sessions are planned where HAB staff will present the proposed reforms and feedback process.  The dates and times are below. Each session will contain the same presentation; thus, it is recommended to attend just one session.


Thursday, June 20, 2013 at 2-3pm EST  https://hrsa.connectsolutions.com/HABmeasures/

Tuesday, June 25, 2013 at 12-1pm EST   https://hrsa.connectsolutions.com/HABmeasures/


This conference line is for both sessions:


Conference line phone number: 888-810-9640
Conference line passcode(s): HAB 

> Highlights from the NQC Collection | Past TA Calls and Resources 


Brush up on the HIV / AIDS Bureau's expectations for quality management by accessing the March 2012 call on this subject. Go to:

  

http://nationalqualitycenter.org/index.cfm/17414/15038


Quality Academy Tutorial:

The Ryan White Program and its Expectations for Quality. The tutorial, available in English and Spanish, covers: 

  • Background of the Ryan White Treatment Modernization Act
  • How HAB defines key quality terms
  • What the quality expectations are for Ryan White-funded grantees
  • What resources are available from HAB

http://nationalqualitycenter.org/index.cfm/5908/15590 

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.

> About Us

 

We provide no-cost, state-of-the-art technical assistance to all Ryan White Program-funded grantees to improve the quality of HIV care nationwide.  

 

Send questions, comments, or suggestions | Info@NationalQualityCenter.org  

 

This e-Newsletter is produced by the National Quality Center, a quality improvement initiative funded through a cooperative agreement with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) HIV/AIDS Bureau. For more information | NationalQualityCenter.org  

 

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