Illinois Hospital Association

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February 13, 2008

Quality Improvement Educational Events

Time Sensitive Responses Needed

TO: CEOs

There are some really great educational opportunities that have come our way that I wanted you to be aware of and that your hospital can participate in.

Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Framework To Achieve System-Level Results
The Illinois Hospital Association and its members have been selected to be one of 6 states in the nation to participate in a free web based series program on implementation of a framework to achieve system-level results provided by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement faculty.  The IHI Framework to Achieve System-Level Results is closely related to the IHI's Innovation Series document on "Execution of Strategic Improvement Initiatives To Produce System Level Results" which can be found on IHA's web site (click here). Rather than focusing on individual projects, this innovative approach provides a perspective on how to achieve high and sustainable performance on system-wide aims.

Participation.  Participation is limited to 20 hospitals in each state that are participating in the IHI 5 Million Lives Campaign - there is no charge for participation (if you are not an IHI participant, you may contact Matt Angela at mangela@ihastaff.org and register today).  Participation will be limited to the first 20 hospital respondents.  Please send Dottie Jackson at djackson@ihastaff.org a short note if you wish to participate citing your hospital name and contact person including name, e-mail, and phone number.  Remember, there is no charge for participation.

Criteria For Participation.  Hospitals wishing to participate must meet the following criteria --- IHA is allowing hospitals to determine themselves whether they will meet the criteria.

  • Attend all sessions - sessions will be combined Webinars with telephone conference call.
  • Complete assignments and come to the session prepared to discuss. IHI estimates 5-10 hours between-session time commitment, depending on how much time your hospital wants and/or can give to the assignments.
  • Declare Campaign aims publicly.
  • Plan to coach other hospitals and Nodes as Execution Framework Campaign Mentors after the conclusion of the series.  IHA plans to have a special presentation at the IHA Quality Leadership Conference on May 15 and 16.
  • Schedule of Webinars and Conference Calls
    Friday, February 22, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. central time
    Thursday, February 28, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. central time
    Friday, March 7, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. central time
    Friday, March 14, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. central time
    Tuesday, March 25, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. central time

    *Please plan to join about 10 minutes early to establish your web connection and troubleshoot any issues.

    Objectives.  Continuing to drive change and improvement project by project often leads to frustration. This five-session web seminar series will present a new model for executing change that allows senior leaders to develop a sustainable program that leads to improvement of system-wide aims.

    After this session, participants will be able to:

  • Identify, understand, and manage the drivers of system-wide improvements
  • Develop a portfolio of improvement projects that drive a system aim
  • Outline the competencies needed at each tier of the system
  • Discuss a system of program oversight
  • Faculty
    Carol Haraden, Ph.D., Vice President, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), is a member of the IHI team responsible for developing innovative designs in patient care. She currently leads the Safer Patients Initiative, a four-year project to improve patient safety in the UK, and the IHI work with Quality Improvement Scotland, the Scottish Patient Safety Alliance, aimed at transforming the safety of every Scottish hospital over five years. She is the executive lead for the IHI Patient Safety Officer Executive Training Program. Dr. Haraden has been a dean in higher education, a clinician, consultant, and researcher. She served on the Institute of Medicine Committee on Engineering Approaches to Improve Health Care, is a judge for several national quality awards, and is an associate editor for the journal Quality and Safety in Health Care.

    Peter Knox, Executive Vice President, Bellin Health, has held a variety of leadership roles over the past 27 years at Bellin. He has been a consultant for organizations both within and outside of health care, including the US Navy. His 2000 book titled "The Business of Healthcare" has been used by a number of universities and organizations across the country. Mr. Knox recently initiated the Bellin Institute for Health, which is dedicated to supporting individuals in making lifestyle and behavioral changes that result in better health and richer lives.



    Prevention Strategies for MRSA in Rural Communities
    On February 27, IHA is sponsoring a televideo conference focused on MRSA in Rural Communities.  In a report released recently by the Illinois Department of Public Health, rural communities demonstrated a higher MRSA hospitalization rate than urban or other urban areas (click here).

    Hospital participants will be able to go to one of five sites around Illinois to participate in the conference.  The conference sites are Naperville, Springfield, Aledo, Benton, and Gibson City.

    The February 27 conference will focus on strategies to prevent and control MRSA in and outside of the hospital.  Discussions will focus on MRSA screening approaches; creative nursing home in-service training programs to prevent transfer of MRSA; pending rules (could be approved at JCAR meeting on February 13th) on reporting MRSA events in community and hospital settings; outreach and education to communities; and practical and successful approaches to compliance with hand hygiene, isolation protocols, and environmental controls.

    Faculty for the meeting include:

    • Randy Dauby, Chair, Small and Rural Steering Committee, CEO, Hamilton Memorial Hospital, McLeansboro
    • Craig Conover, M.D., Medical Director, Office of Health Protection, Illinois Department of Public Health
    • Pat Merryweather, Senior Vice President, Illinois Hospital Association
    • Ari Robiscek, M.D., Hospital Epidemiologist, Board Certified, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Evanston Hospital, Evanston
    • William Scharf, M.D., General Surgeon, OSF Healthcare

    IHA Patient Safety - Targeting Hospital Acquired Conditions, Keeping Patients Safe
    There is still time to participate in IHA's Patient Safety Collaborative this year!  With the ongoing focus on select high volume and high impact conditions, hospitals participating in the collaborative will develop methods and strategies for reducing hospital acquired conditions.  IHA aligned its focus this year with Medicare's announced targeted quality improvement areas for hospital acquired conditions, including pressure ulcers, injuries from falls, and catheter-acquired urinary tract infections.

    For more information on the IHA Patient Safety Collaborative, click here or contact Becky Steward at bsteward@ihastaff.org.

    If you have additional questions on the IHI Initiative or the MRSA Rural Educational Seminar, please contact me at pmerryweather@ihastaff.org.