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NQC e-Newsletter | Your expert guide to resources and technical assistance focusing on improving HIV care.
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Greetings,
We are pleased to announce a new training opportunity for Ryan White grantees; the Training-of-Trainers (TOT) session on November 11-13, 2014. This will be the 17th TOT session that NQC has provided and it is gratifying to know that over 500 individuals representing more than 44% of all currently funded Ryan White grantees have already attended this training. The interest in this training is as strong today as when we launched the first one in 2007. NQC encourages all individuals who seek to build their training skills to apply to this session and join us in Las Vegas, NV.
We are on the verge of launching an exciting new application for you to share your improvement stories. You can read more about it in the in+care Campaign update in this issue.
Welcome back from what I hope was an enjoyable summer!
Regards,
Clemens Steinbock
Director, National Quality Center
Clemens@NationalQualityCenter.org
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> NQC Offering: Training-of-Trainers, Las Vegas, November 11-13, 2014
What goes on in Vegas usually stays in Vegas - but not this time we hope!
NQC is pleased to announce the next Training-of-Trainers (TOT) session in Las Vegas. Participants are expected to take what they learn and further spread quality management concepts within their organizations and communities. Sign up now to take part in this opportunity to build your training skills-which can't just stay in Vegas.
The overarching goals of the TOT Program include:
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Enlarge the pool of qualified trainers on quality improvement in HIV care across the country;
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Further spread quality management concepts by increasing the number of training opportunities for Ryan White grantees;
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Increase the ability of NQC to refer requests for QI training to regional TOT trainers; and
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Build capacity in Ryan White funded programs on quality improvement.
The TOT Program is designed for individuals with a strong experiential background in quality management and who wish to expand their training skills. They are also linked to quality improvement experts and peers facing similar challenges.
Since the purpose of the TOT Program is capacity building, participants are asked to lead at least three trainings within 120 days of completing the session. This helps participants reinforce the knowledge they gained at the TOT as well as expanding the opportunities for providers of clinical and non-clinical services to gain quality management knowledge and expertise.
To register for the TOT session in Las Vegas, November 11-13, 2014 | nationalqualitycenter.org/index.cfm/17290
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> NQC News | in+care Campaign Update
The in+care Campaign will be launching ShareLab; an application which will categorize and associate quality improvement strategies based on several key criteria. NQC will be announcing more about ShareLab in the coming month.
The in+care Campaign has been working to put together webinars to explore the latest developments related to HIV patient retention. More information on these webinars will be available in the near future.
NQC encourages you to keep submitting your data. With your efforts, we have built an impressive bank of data for indicators that support a key goaql of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.
Contact Michael Hager at Michael@NationalQualityCenter.org for more information on the in+care Campaign.
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| > Consumer Perspective | Mary Bennefield
I have been blessed to have so many wonderful mentors," says Mary Bennefield. She reminds us that in addition to advocating for others, providing HIV/AIDS education, and participating in planning activities, organizations by and for people living with HIV/AIDS can play an important role in helping members find their own voices.
Mary is active in the Daytona Positive Champions Speakers Bureau which focuses on educating the community about HIV/AIDS and speaking out about discrimination and stigma. Positive Champions provides presentations throughout the community at health fairs, churches, colleges, and businesses. For example, on a quarterly basis the group speaks at a continuing education course for health care providers on HIV/AIDS at Daytona State College. They tell health care providers about the challenges related to living with HIV/AIDS and the barriers to accessing and remaining in care.
In August 2014, Mary and two colleagues from Positive Champions conducted a workshop session on stigma at the ADAP Advocacy Association's Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. They focused on the role of stigma in access to and retention in care. As a result of this presentation, Mary and her colleagues were invited by organizations outside of Daytona, FL to share their message.
In addition to her educational efforts, Mary is Chair of the Volusia/Flagler County Partnership for Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Planning (PCHAP). The PCHAP plans a comprehensive array of HIV/AIDS services spanning from prevention to early intervention and patient care. She has been active in the planning process for about three years and began serving as Chair this year.
Mary credits her Positive Champions mentors-Jeff Allen and Omar Mayes to name two-with helping her begin her journey as an advocate. In addition, Mary attended an NQC Training of Consumers on Quality in Atlanta, GA in spring 2013.
"I've seen what others are doing in their communities and can look for ways to apply similar strategies," says Mary. "It has been an interesting process trying to put what I have learned from others into practice."
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> NQC e-Newsletter | Volume 7 | Issue 72 | Sept. '14
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> Upcoming Events | Sept. - Oct.
September 18 | National TA Call
October 1 | in+care data due
October 16 l National TA Call
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> Quality Corner | AIDS Services Center at St. Luke's University Health Network, Bethlehem and Easton, Pennsylvania
With quality improvement, it is easy to identify the "big" problems. At the AIDS Services Center at St. Luke's University Health Network, quality improvement (QI) projects are started by acknowledging that issues impacting patients' well-being and quality of life are multi-factorial. Sometimes the "small" problems need to be addressed in order to fix the "big" problems. The Center provides outpatient services to approximately 250 patients across sites in Easton and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Their patient population is approximately 50 percent female. Forty-six percent of patients are Latinos/Latinas.
As a participant in the in+Care Campaign, the Center has focused on decreasing the gap measure. To address this issue they conduct a monthly case review of patients without a visit in the past six months. Utilizing CAREWare, they create an "FBI List," which is reviewed by all team members so that everyone can work on contacting the patients and bringing them back to care. Given that nursing, case management, and prevention services often have different approaches, taking this multi-pronged approach to contact patients means that patients are more likely to respond and return care. When the "FBI List" review began two years ago, the gap measure was above the national average at 18 percent. Currently, only one patient falls into this measure making the current gap measure less than 1 percent.
Another QI priority has been viral load suppression. Last year, a QI team was formed to specifically address this measure. At the start of the QI project, the viral load suppression rate was 78 percent. The QI team completed five PDSAs Cycles to address common barriers to viral load suppression such as behavioral health issues and insurance coverage. At the end of the one-year QI project, the viral load suppression rate improved to 88 percent. The Center has decided to continue this initiative for another year.
The Center has engaged in other QI initiatives and has won awards within their hospital network. Their cervical cancer initiative, "Women's Health Blitz Week," improved the cervical cancer screening rate from 14 percent to 65 percent. For this event staff dressed in pink, decorated the exam rooms, and provided spa gift bags to all patients who participated. The week-long event was designed to create a comprehensive women's health event focusing on breast health, domestic violence, smoking cessation, as well as reproductive and sexual health.
"This is such a great event", says Chelsea Shepherd, CRNP, a nurse practitioner at the Center and a member of the QI team. "We get the chance to really bond with our female patients and teach them the importance of wellness and health maintenance. We hear back that the messages are spreading and that their family and friends are now getting Pap smears and mammograms."
Currently, a QI team is focusing on tobacco cessation; 38 percent of Center's patients use tobacco products. The QI team is working with the Center's tobacco cessation counselor to improve the quit rate. To address this, the QI team is focusing on improving the referral process. They are also planning on interviewing patients who are former smokers to see what techniques and tips have helped them the most. The counselor is now engaging with every patient that smokes at every visit so their readiness to quit and start cessation can be assessed.
Engaging staff in QI activities has been an ongoing process for the Center. Initially, staff worked as a whole on all QI initiatives. According to Chelsea, it has been very helpful to divide the team into smaller groups, with each group working on a different project. "This way everyone has a focus and a goal and everyone can see the progress their team is making," says Chelsea. "When people are actively involved and have a specific goal, things change."
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| > National TA Call | Diffusion of Innovation - September 18, 2014
All of us have had innovative ideas at one time or another. Our quality improvement work is a natural incubator for new, innovative ideas. And we all know that once we come up with an innovative idea it's easy to spread it through our respective workplaces and watch it take hold, right?
Or maybe not. For those of you who have wondered how diffusion of innovation happens and how ideas spread, you will want to attend this webinar. There is no easy answer on how ideas spread but this webinar will give you a better idea of the challenges and rewards in understanding the science of spread. Please join NQC Coach Jane Caruso for this scintillating presentation.
At the end of this webinar, you will have a better understanding of:
Join us on September 18 | nationalqualitycenter.org/index.cfm/17403
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> NQC Job Forum| Check it Out!
Just a reminder that NQC has a Job Forum section on our website. The Job Forum lists quality improvement related positions from Ryan White Program grantees. Currently, there are two postings for your review.
NQC encourages you to send us your posting for review and placement in the Job Forum. And of course, this service is of no cost to Ryan White Grantees.
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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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