Updates from the National STD Quality Improvement Center
Adolescent Sexual Health Quality Improvement QI Fellowship:
Recruiting Cohort 2!
As you may have seen in last week's announcement, the
National QI Center at the California STD/HIV Prevention Training Center in partnership with
Population Health Improvement Partners is
now recruiting for our second cohort of fellows to participate in the
Adolescent Sexual Health Quality Improvement (ASH QI) Fellowship program.
The fellowship, fuses QI and adolescent sexual healthcare and policy subject matter expertise within a robust training program. Our aim is to build STD public health capacity for facilitating ASH QI interventions in partnership with local healthcare settings.
CDC Division of STD Prevention-funded state and city STD programs and Prevention Training Centers (PTCs) with interested public health staff are encouraged to apply for this exciting
FREE training opportunity.
For more information and to apply, visit
this link.
The Spotlight: Improving Clinic Efficiency and Billing at the Rhode Island STD Clinic
We partnered with in
The Miriam Hospital STD Clinicin
Providence, Rhode Island and the Sylvie Ratelle STD/HIV Prevention Training Center to conduct an rapid improvement event.
With a recent health system merger, clinic administration was interested in improving efficiency of the clinic to be able to develop a smooth new billing processes. We identified multiple areas for improvement that are now being sustained in the clinic. Here are just a few of the improvements tested:
Electronic Alerts for Nurses
The QI Team found that the nurse would have to check in the reception area for when her patients were ready.
In doing some research in their new EMR, the team figured out a way to signal the nurse in the EMR when the patient was ready so that she didn't have to leave her exam room to check for a new patient.
Efficient Negative Test Results
In studying the process, the QI team found that test results were being kept in a book that was being moved back and forth to the registration desk when the clinic opened.
This created back up for the receptionist to answer phones while also greeting patients and potentially put protected health information at risk.
The team decided to dedicate a research assistant in the back office to give results over the phone during clinic hours to eliminate the movement of the results book and lessen the burden on the receptionist.
Clear In-Take Form
The QI team reviewed the intake form and realized that there were only two questions on the form that would help the receptionist triage patients.
In revising the form, they added more details around recent exposure and symptoms to allow more efficient triage.
Real Time Documentation
The QI team identified documentation of vital signs causing a bottleneck at the end of the day, when the nurse would have to return to her office to enter any patient information she collected on paper.
As a result, the QI champion has installed a laptop computer in the nurse's exam room so that the nurse can enter data in real time in to Epic.
Added Staff on Peak Days
The QI team worked with administration to add a second nurse on busy days to see more patients.
Up Next...
We are currently in the planning stages of the next on-sites!
July 10-14: an FQHC in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with the Louisiana Department of Health QI Fellows and the Denver PTC
July 24-25: a School Based Health Center in Los Cruces, New Mexico with Apex Evaluation and New Mexico Department of Health QI Fellows
TBD: New York PTC and Department of Health QI Fellows
