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Here we’ll share the Quality Improvement updates, successes, discuss upcoming activities, and more. Thank you for joining us!
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Major Updates:
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Quality Improvement Kickoff
Everyone has completed their QI kickoff. Above all, can we agree Julie has done a great job teaching us how seemingly small changes can make a HUGE impact over time? And how about those shirts for this Texas weather? THANK YOU, Julie!
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From the QI Team:
To be an organization that responds to changing needs of our patients and communities, we must consider how we can continuously improve the quality and safety of care we provide. Thus, improvement begins with “i” means it starts with each of us.
There are different methodologies and ways of thinking about quality improvement. For instance, one of these is called LEAN. Toyota developed LEAN in the 1950s to maximize production and reduce waste by doing more with less and cutting out anything unnecessary. The LEAN methodology has a unique vocabulary. Such as the word: Kaizen.
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Then, What is Kaizen?
Kaizen is a Japanese word meaning “continuous improvement.” Kaizen focuses on small changes over time that create extraordinary results. A saying associated with Kaizen is everyone, every day, everywhere. Making small changes every day in our spaces and roles adds to the organization’s total improvement. Moreover, Kaizen is a way of life (the Kaizen Spirit). It is about building new daily habits and improving processes at work and home.
To summarize, our journey for implementing a quality culture starts with each of you. Creating a quality culture requires that you suggest and implement improvements regularly. Our improvement begins with me, you, each one of us.
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Email Your Ideas:
QualityImprovement@HealthPoint-TX.com
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Site Rounding
In September, the Quality Improvement team rounded at all clinic sites to introduce themselves, get to know clinic staff better, and share their approach to quality. Rounding will be part of the Quality Improvement team’s regular activities. During rounds, clinic staff will have the opportunity to make suggestions and bring fresh ideas to the table. Above all, their goal is to make your work easier and improve the patient experience. They need your help! To this end, if you have suggestions, please email them HERE: Quality Improvement Team.
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Current “Plan Do Study Act” (PDSA) Initiatives
The Quality Improvement team is supporting Rockdale as they conduct a “Plan, Do, Study, Act” (PDSA) operation. The goal is to capture patients’ preferred pharmacies. Soon, this valuable information will help clinical staff create more seamless interactions for patients.
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Quality Improvement (QI) Projects
Providers partner with the Quality Improvement team to improve upon HealthPoint’s Uniform Data System statin measure. This measure addresses statin therapy for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. These improvement measures will directly impact:
Patients at high risk of cardiovascular events who are 21 years old or older and were previously diagnosed with or currently have an active diagnosis of clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). They may also apply to patients 21 years old or older who have ever had a fasting or direct low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level greater than or equal to 190 mg/dL. In addition, those previously diagnosed with or who currently have an active diagnosis of familial or pure hypercholesterolemia. Finally, patients 40 – 75 years old diagnosed with diabetes that have a fasting or direct LDL-C level of 70–189 mg/dL are impacted.
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New Ideas
Finally, the Quality Improvement team sparked new ideas and ways of thinking with Caldwell and Somerville clinical teams through fun activities! In one exercise, they worked on the many things you can use a paperclip for. Then, QI challenged staff to think of the worst possible patient experience and how they could create it. Through this activity, clinical staff were creatively reminded of how they can make an excellent patient experience. One of the most powerful reasons for team building is to get results like these. Fun activities that help people see each other in a different light allow them to connect in a new way. Activities between multiple teams build skills like communication, planning, problem-solving, and conflict resolution. Furthermore, they facilitate long-term team building through fostering genuine connections, deeper discussions, and processing. Close-knit teams help ensure productivity and a good work environment.
Head back to our blog HERE.
