Celebrating 10 years of leading innovations across the Ryan White community.

 

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

 

Greetings!
 
This month the NQC newsletter highlights our in+care Campaign. While this national improvement initiative is not in its active phase, the plethora of resources and the in+care database are all still available to the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) community. Over the past year, NQC has worked with John Snow, Inc., our external evaluator, to examine the potential impact the Campaign on persons living with HIV/AIDS and RWHAP grantees. The collective work that has been achieved by the RWHAP community has been extraordinary. Thanks to all who worked so hard to improve HIV care.
 
Be sure to check out the announcement of the upcoming Training-of-Trainers Program (TOT).  This will be the 18th TOT session hosted by NQC. The TOT is a program designed for individuals with QI knowledge and training experience to build their skills and network with their peers.

Regards,  

Clemens Steinbock
Director, National Quality Center

> This Issue

In This Issue...

> NQC Offering | Training-of-Trainers: December 16-18, Las Vegas, NV
  
It is a sure bet that you will leave NQC's upcoming Training-of-Trainers (TOT) with new skills that will help you become a better quality improvement trainer! The overarching goals of the TOT Program include:
  
  • Enlarge the pool of qualified trainers on quality improvement in HIV care across the country;
  • Further spread quality management concepts by increasing the number of training opportunities for Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grantees;
  • Increase the ability of NQC to refer requests for QI training to regional TOT trainers; and
  • Build capacity in Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program-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 one of the purposes 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.
 
 
Learn more and sign up for our next TOT session | nationalqualitycenter.org/tot
 
> NQC Training Teaser...
 
To help you in your planning efforts for 2016, NQC is pleased to announce the trainings through June 2016. We are planning to hold the TQL during the week of March 14, 2016 in Austin, TX and the TCB in May 2016 in Chicago, IL. Details will follow in the coming months, so stay tuned.
 
Don't forget to check the NQC website for updates!
                 
in+care Campaign Update | The Results are In!

NQC has completed its evaluation of the in+care Campaign-the largest HIV quality improvement initiative carried out at the national level. We are pleased to announce that the Campaign demonstrated significant improvements in national retention and viral load suppression (VLS) performance.
 
NQC and HRSA/HAB partnered to launch the in+care Campaign in 2011. The Campaign was designed to promote successful interventions that bring people living with HIV (PLWH) in care and keep them engaged. It allows participants to benchmark their progress in performance measurement-using four measures-against other agencies.
 
By the end of 2013, over 655 providers had enrolled in the Campaign-51 percent of Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grantees that served over 470,000 HIV patients. Many continue submitting data to this day. NQC congratulates Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grantees on the outcomes that were documented through the Campaign. Average performance from all grantees submitting data significantly improved across all four Campaign measures:
 
  • 9.1% increase in medical visit frequency;
  • 6.4% increase in VLS;
  • 5.9% increase in newly enrolled patient retention; and
  • 3.2% decrease in gap measure (percentage of patients who did not have a medical visit with a provider in the last 180 days).
In addition to tracking outcomes over time, an important aspect of the in+care Campaign was to foster quality improvement projects and share best practices from these projects. Over 200 activities were reported by Campaign participants in Improvement Update Forms (IUFs) by 23 percent of participants. It is important to note that organizations submitting IUFs showed more improvement than those without IUFs. Strategies reported by participants included: systematic monitoring of retention; appointment reminders; intensive outreach for those newly diagnosed who are not engaged; use of patient navigators; case management services; and accommodations factoring in consumer experience.
 
Learn more about the in+care Campaign | http://www.incarecampaign.org/

> October 2015 | Issue 87 | Vol 7 

> NQC 10-Year Anniversary
Milestones and Highlights

Tell us how NQC has helped you!

> Upcoming Events | October 

 

Oct. 1  l  in+care data submission due

 

Oct.  15  l  National TA Webinar


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 protected]

 

Improving HIV Care.


> Consumer Perspective | Escott Solomon

Twenty-six (26) years ago, Escott Solomon was diagnosed with HIV at New York City's Harlem Hospital. His story is both compelling and inspiring and a tribute to the welcoming environment at the hospital.  
 
"The clinic is really committed to involving people living with HIV-they brought peers in very early," says Escott. "Over the years they have been very progressive about incorporating peers at various levels."
 
Escott started out as a volunteer at the clinic. He was soon promoted to serve as a peer for other people living with HIV. Currently, he works full-time as an HIV counselor, providing HIV prevention, testing, and counseling services. He also serves on the clinics quality of care committee.
 
As if a full-time job is not enough, Escott serves as Director of Outreach for the Coalition on Positive Health Empowerment (COPE), which provides both HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) counseling and testing services.
 
"People do not have a clue about hepatitis," says Escott. "They don't know about vaccines for Hep A and B. They don't know there is a cure for HCV."
 
He has used his experience with HIV to help develop the services at COPE.
 
"There is so much overlap between HIV and HCV," he says. "We don't have to re-invent the wheel."
 
In addition to his work at the community level, Escott is a member of NQC's Consumer Advisory Board (CAB).
 
"I've been very fortunate working with NQC and Harlem Hospital. With some CABs they give you a metro pass and a pizza dinner but they don't listen to what you have to say. With both organizations I can see from the work they do that they have taken our suggestions seriously," says Escott.
 
As Escott goes about his work, he believes he brings a perspective that sometimes is not heard-a heterosexual man living with HIV.
 
"I'm proud to be a champion for the heterosexual population," he says. "As a peer and a counselor, I am able to reach out to people and tell them I know what they are going through. It can be very isolating. Don't forget about us. We are out there."
 
To learn more about COPE | http://www.copehealth.org/

> National TA Webinar | Quality Improvement in the Non-Clinical Community

This month NQC will focus on quality improvement in non-clinical settings. Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program providers have a plethora of resources available to them to assist them with their quality management program. However, non-clinical services have not been discussed with the same frequency. This webinar will look at the "left" side of the HIV Care Continuum (Diagnosed and Linked to Care) and look at the role of case managers, social workers, et al. in all the services that support the clients you serve. A few of your peers will also be providing insight into their non-clinical quality management.
 
Our learning objectives are:
 
  • Define what quality management versus quality assurance
  • The role of non-clinical providers in quality improvement
  • Choosing improvement projects
  • Real world grantee experiences
 
 
The webinar will take place October 15 at 3:00 pm (ET).
 
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Meeting information
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Topic: Quality Improvement in the Non-Clinical Community
Date: Thursday, October 15, 2015
Time: 3:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time (New York, GMT-04:00)
Meeting Number: 645 239 127
Meeting Password: nqctacall123

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To start or join the online meeting
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Go to
https://meetny.webex.com/meetny/j.php?MTID=mbc175ac38e7ab98b142f2bed540131ec

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Audio conference information
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1. Provide your number when you join the meeting to receive a call back. Alternatively, you can call one of the following numbers:
Local: 1-518-549-0500 or Toll Free: 1-844-633-8697
2. Follow the instructions that you hear on the phone.
Cisco Unified MeetingPlace meeting ID: 645 239 127

To add this meeting to your calendar program (for example Microsoft Outlook), click this link:
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> 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 | [email protected]   

 

This project/document was/is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U28HA041321200. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. 

 

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