Get certified in Healthcare Quality CPHQ

These days, everyone seems to be talking about Quality Improvement in health care. The Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) certification incorporates the body of knowledge in the healthcare quality profession, which includes:

• strategic and operational roles in management and leadership
• information management, including design and data collection, measurement and analytics, and communication
• performance/quality measurement and improvement, including planning, implementation and evaluation, and training
• strategic and operational tasks in patient safety

The CPHQ is the only certification in the profession of healthcare quality. The program is fully accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies of the National Organization for Competency Assurance in Washington, D.C.

Learn more about CPHQ and the National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ)
http://www.nahq.org

National Association for Healthcare Quality

Some of you may have a strong interest in improving health care quality. The IHI or Institute for Healthcare Improvement is a great place to find resources and join a community of health care professionals invested in improving quality. The National Association for Healthcare Quality is another group to explore:

The National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) is a professional association dedicated to the advancement of the profession of healthcare quality and patient safety and the individual professionals working in the field.

Founded in 1976, NAHQ has more than 10,000 quality and patient safety professionals working in healthcare settings both nationally and internationally. These professionals drive the delivery of vital data for effective decision making in healthcare systems by combining technology with their unique expertise in quality management.

The Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) credential signifies professional and academic achievement by individuals in the field of healthcare quality management.

Get Certified in Lean Six Sigma to improve health care processes

As more physicians and nurses get involved in quality improvement projects, there is a growing demand for clinicians who are certified in Lean and Six Sigma. Technically, Lean and Six Sigma are different methods, but people often combine these terms and refer to them as "Lean Six Sigma" or "Lean and Six Sigma."

• The Lean process was developed by the Toyota manufacturing production system and focuses primarily on eliminating waste and achieving greater efficiency. 
• Six Sigma originated at Motorola as a way to improve processes and reduce defects by identifying the root causes of problems to develop effective solutions.

You can achieve Green Belt or Black Belt certification from a number of different organizations and this may open up job or consulting opportunities around quality improvement, process improvement, waste reduction, improving patient safety, and more. There are different ways to get certified, but in general you have to receive training, six for an exam, and demonstrate proficiency by working on projects where you apply the Lean and Six Sigma methodologies to make improvements.

In health care, the combined processes of Lean and Six Sigma can improve workflow, process efficiency, and patient care. There are a variety of systematic tools and ways to apply Lean Six Sigma principles in health care.

To learn more, research ASQ (American Society for Quality) and IASSC (International Association for Six Sigma Certification) for more information about Lean and Six Sigma.

Here are some books to consider:

2013 Student Quality Leadership Academy

The 4th Annual IHI Open School Student Quality Leadership Academy, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, will be held on June 13-14, 2013 in Cambridge, MA.

The Student Quality Leadership Academy is a free, two-day program for students and residents designed to build the leadership competencies within all health professions.

2013 IHI Open School Student Quality Leadership Academy
June 13-14, 2013
Cambridge, MA

Participants will learn specific skills related to leading change, managing conflict, communicating effectively, and tackling other leadership challenges they currently face, or will face in their careers. A complete list of the program faculty and agenda will be shared within the next few weeks.

Learn more here.

Medical students gaining experience in Quality Improvement (QI)

I find it inspiring that medical students are getting experience in Quality Improvement. QI is not a normal part of the medical school curriculum. You may learn some basics around general QI concepts, but you don't generally get to work on a QI initiative.

Some medical students enrolled in dual-degree MD/MBA programs have worked on a QI project by applying business principles in a health care setting. After all, business principles related to process improvement can be applied in health care.

The IHI (Institute for Healthcare Improvement) Open School project has given today's medical students the resources and framework to work on a QI project. As an example: Colleen McCormick is a fourth-year medical student at Wright State University who will be doing her pediatrics residency at Northwestern University in Chicago, has written weekly posts for the IHI Open School blog. McCormick used the IHI Open School Quality Improvement Practicum to set up and execute her QI project.

If you're a medical student or resident interested in quality improvement, make sure to take get involved with the IHI Open School project.

IHI Quality Improvement for Chairs and Chiefs

Don't miss this Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) training program on leadership:

Quality Improvement for Chairs and Chiefs • May 6–7, 2013, in Boston, MA

In Quality Improvement for Chairs and Chiefs, clinical chairs and chiefs of departments or services will be fully immersed in methods to improve quality throughout their department. From the basic metrics of measurement and assessing performance, to leading a culture of quality, to strategies for publishing improvement work, this program will provide clinical department heads with the essentials they need to lead a portfolio of department-wide improvement initiatives.


Clinical leaders face incredible daily challenges, including overseeing patient care, budgetary responsibilities, and teaching requirements, all in a fluid setting filled with constant change. In the post-health care reform environment, there is renewed emphasis on the quality of care provided and producing zero events of harm. One of the most important — yet often overlooked — roles of clinical leaders is engaging physicians and department-wide teams through quality improvement initiatives that align with hospital goals.


Learn more here.

IHI Executive Quality Academy

Don't miss the upcoming Executive Quality Academy. It's an Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) training program on leadership:

Executive Quality Academy • April 8–10, 2013, in Cambridge, MA

Health care CEOs could once argue that their role was to get the finances, facilities, and capital investments right, and that it was the job of the doctors and nurses to deliver quality care. Not anymore. Leaders are responsible for all patient outcomes and are under pressure to produce both high quality and high value. The principal output of IHI’s intensive three-day Executive Quality Academy will be a detailed plan for each organization to achieve one or more "how good, by when" system-level quality aims, integrated into the strategic plan of that organization – to fix the biggest issues. Learn more at ihi.org/eqa.

Why Attend the IHI Executive Quality Academy?
Health care CEOs once could argue that their role was to get the finances, facilities, and capital investments right, and that it was the job of the doctors and nurses to deliver quality care. Not anymore. Leaders are responsible for all patient outcomes and are under pressure to produce both high quality and high value. While it's important to improve quality in one condition, or reduce costs in one department, the new health care environment demands system-level improvement across multiple dimensions of quality, patient outcomes, and organizational performance. This pressure, when combined with early versions of "pay-for-performance" initiatives such as Bridges to Excellence and the Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration Project, led by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services/Premier, Inc., has made clinical quality performance a strategic imperative — and no longer just a regulatory requirement, or the "right thing to do." In other words, clinical quality performance is no longer delegable to "the quality people."

Responsibility for measured performance in clinical quality and safety rests squarely on the shoulders of each member of the senior executive team, regardless of whether or not they have a clinical background.

Executive level leadership that is both strategic and transformative is required.
So the question is not whether CEOs and other senior executives must take responsibility for measured system-level quality performance. The question is how to do this new job while still doing all the components of the old job. That is the core question that the Executive Quality Academy answers.

18th International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare

Are you looking for an excuse to visit London? Don't miss the 18th International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare.

2013 Forum Theme:  Improve Quality, Reduce Costs, Save Lives
When: 16-19 April 2013
Where: London

Now in its 18th year, the International Forum is an annual gathering of healthcare professionals in quality improvement and patient safety. The International Forum supports and energises the movement for healthcare improvement. This four day event connects healthcare leaders and practitioners worldwide to improve outcomes for patients and communities.

Clinical Quality Fellowship Program

The United Hospital Fund offers a Clinical Quality Fellowship Program for early- and mid-career physicians and nurses with the specific purpose of helping them to lead and champion quality improvement and patient safety efforts within their hospitals.

Through an intensive 15-month training session, regional leaders in health care quality teach the fellows proven tools and techniques to improve the quality, efficiency, and safety of patient care within their institutions. Participating fellows then bring their new knowledge, skills, and strategies back to their institutions, where they are prepared to take on leadership roles and act as agents of change. Co-led by the United Hospital Fund and the Greater New York Hospital Association, the program is intended to create a lasting infrastructure supporting quality improvement in the greater New York area.

Learn more about the Clinical Quality Fellowship Program.

Open House for Jefferson School of Population Health

Interested in a degree in Health Policy & Healthcare Quality & Safety? Join faculty and other members of the Jefferson School of Population Health to learn more about some of our online degree programs. The Master of Sciences degrees that will be covered in this session are Health Policy, Healthcare Quality & Safety, and Healthcare Quality & Safety Management.

Open House for Jefferson School of Population Health
Thursday, April 26, 2012 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EDT

Register here.

National Forum on Quality Improvement in Healthcare

Author: Michelle Mudge-Riley, DO, MHA

The 23rd Annual National Forum on Quality Improvement in Healthcare is coming up. This is a conference put on by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). It’s held this year in Orlando, Florida on December 4th-7th. In general, non-clinical conferences are a great way to expose yourself to some of the trends and issues in the non-clinical world. In addition to interesting and timely topics, the IHI conference is a great way to network with healthcare executives and others focused on the mission of improving healthcare delivery.

Get A Degree in Quality: ACPE Offering New Advanced Degree with Thomas Jefferson University

The American College of Physician Executives and Thomas Jefferson University School of Population Health in Philadelphia are teaming up to offer an important new advanced degree aimed at physicians who want to improve the quality of health care. For the Master's of Science in Health Care Quality and Safety Management (MS-HQSM), students will take 125 hours of ACPE prerequisite courses — the same courses required with our other university partners offering master's degrees in medical management and an MBA. Students will then complete their studies through Thomas Jefferson's nine online courses.

On Friday, June 3, David B. Nash, MD, MBA, FACPE, dean of Jefferson's School of Population Health and a longtime ACPE instructor, is hosting an Online “Open House” Webinar (noon –– 1 p.m. eastern) to discuss the new degree. The webinar will provide information on everything from curriculum and capstone requirements to admissions and application information. Information about the webinar and how to register for it can be found below.

JSPH Online Open House - HQS, HQSM, HP
Friday, June 3, 2011 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EDT

MS in Healthcare Quality and Safety Management

The Master of Science in Healthcare Quality and Safety Management (MS-HQSM) is a specialized degree program offered by the Jefferson School of Population Health (JSPH) in cooperation with the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE). The MS-HQSM degree program is designed specifically for physician executives and addresses the national need for executive leadership in healthcare quality and patient safety.

The aim of the MS-HQSM program is to prepare physicians to be effective managers and leaders in safety and equip them with tools, methods, knowledge, and strategies for improving healthcare quality and patient safety.

The MS-HQSM prepares physician leaders to:

* Identify, interpret and implement policies, care guidelines, and regulations relevant to HQS
* Apply quantitative and qualitative analytic skills to design, conduct and evaluate HQS measurement, improvement, and research activities
* Produce research evidence to support policy development and change
* Evaluate strategies for selection and integration of information systems and technology to support decision-making and work flow within and across healthcare settings
* Apply management and leadership skills to develop policy approaches related to measurement and improvement of HQS

McKinsey & Co webinar on Clinical Quality Improvement

McKinsey & Company is hosting a series of web-based presentations for medical students, interns, residents and fellows. The presentations provide an opportunity to learn more about our firm and the work we do. These events have been created specifically for healthcare professionals and feature discussions of topical issues in healthcare. They also allow you to hear from and ask questions of McKinsey consultants with backgrounds in healthcare. The next presentation topics are:

Clinical Quality Improvement

This session will review case examples of McKinsey's support of Clinical Transformation efforts in large US provider systems. Specifically, we will highlight examples of quality improvement programs and clinical lean operations efforts in the hospital setting. In addition, we will review ways to effectively engage physicians and frontline staff to participate in and lead these efforts to ensure long-term sustainability.

Date: Monday, April 11th
Time: 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. ET

To RSVP for the WebEx presentation, or to register to receive more information on career opportunities with McKinsey & Company, please click on the following link:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ClinicalQualityImprovement

Career coaching in health IT (information technology)

Would you be interested in receiving some "career coaching" advice from experts in the health IT field? Perhaps you're interested in switching careers but you don't know where to start. Maybe you've been involved in your hospital IT committee and you'd like to take your career to the "next level." Have you been thinking about a medical informatics fellowship? How about a master degree in medical informatics or in health information technology and information management?

Considering how much money will be directed towards health IT because of the HITECH provisions within ARRA, the world of health IT is a goldmine for tech-savvy physicians who are interested in pursuing non-clinical careers in this field. Perhaps you wish to learn more about: electronic health records (EHRs); decision support tools; personal health records (PHRs); tailored online messaging; disease management programs; quality improvement indicators; computerized physician order entry (CPOE); public health surveillance; natural language processing; algorithm generation; evidence-based decision support; e-prescribing; telemedicine; predictive modeling; decision support architecture and sharing; knowledge management; user-generated health information; mobile technology; data privacy and security; and much more!

If you'd like to have the opportunity to directly correspond with some health IT experts, contact me via e-mail because I may be able to help you. The other day, I had a nice phone conversation with a physician who had completed a Harvard-MIT Division of HST Biomedical Informatics Postdoctoral Fellowship. I know several other people who have trained in medical informatics and are currently working in both the private and academic sectors. I'm expanding my network and I'd like to help you get the advice you need if you're thinking about opportunities within the health IT space.

Joining Government with Industry to Discuss Health Issues

What happens when you combine government with industry to talk about health issues related to quality of care, compliance, cost, and partnerships? You end up with roundtable reports published by the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA). They have some recent roundtable reports where industry representatives discussed some important quality and compliance issues with the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG).

The most recent HCCA/OIG roundtable report is titled:

A Report on the HHS Office of Inspector General and Health Care Compliance Association Roundtable on Hospital Board of Directors’ Oversight of Quality of Care
Driving for Quality in Acute Care: A Board of Directors Dashboard

Past HCCA/OIG roundtable reports include:

A Report on the Office of Inspector General and Health Care Compliance Association Roundtable on Long-Term Care Board of Directors’ Oversight of Quality of Care
December 6, 2007

A Summary of the Government-Industry Roundtable on the
Role of Governance in Compliance Programs
June 16, 2004, Office of Inspector General

HCCA/OIG Rountable Report
Building a Partnership for Effective Compliance
July, 2001

HCCA/OIG Physician Roundtable Report
Building a Partnership for Effective Compliance
July, 2000

CIA Survey
August 2001

American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians

How do you pronounce ABQAURP? It stands for the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians. They offer Health Care Quality and Management (HCQM) Certification through an online study course and then a certification exam. Once certified, you can hang a certificate that says, "Diplomate of the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians, Inc." The ABQAURP is the only Health Care Quality and Management organization with an exam developed, administered, and evaluated through the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). So, you may want to learn more if you have an interest in working in quality improvement, utilization management, managed care, risk management, case management and workers' compensation.