Volume 1 | November 6, 2017
New IAHQ Webinar: Using the Leapfrog Hospital Survey for QI; Sign up for conference planning committee; New free resources; Renew or join IAHQ now and SAVE!!!
IAHQ News is a monthly communication to members and non-members of the Illinois Association for Healthcare Quality (IAHQ) about upcoming events and resources available to healthcare quality improvement professionals in Illinois and the surrounding areas. To submit items that will be of interest, please send an email to IAHQ.net@gmail.com.
NEW IAHQ Webinar!
Using the Leapfrog Group Hospital Survey for Quality Improvement
Thursday, November 30, 2017
1:00 pm CT/2:00 pm ET

In this webinar, attendees will become familiar with the measures on the Leapfrog Hospital Survey and how adult and pediatric hospitals have used the survey to improve patient safety and quality. Attendees will hear from Missy Danforth, Vice President, Health Care Ratings, The Leapfrog Group; Jeffrey DiLisi, MD, MBA; Senior Vice President & Chief Medical Officer, and Marian Savage, RN, MSH, NEA-BC, CPHQ, Associate Vice President, Quality, Virginia Hospital Center. Register here.
Join the IAHQ Conference Planning Team!
.Although the date and location are set for the 2018 IAHQ Annual Conference (May 8, NIU Naperville Campus), there is plenty of opportunity to contribute to planning sessions and other aspects of the conference. In addition to general conference sessions, we plan to have a poster competition and recognition program, exhibitors, as well as a pre-conference reception. Please join the planning committee to share your ideas. The first committee meeting is scheduled for the week of December 4. Please email Stephen L. Davidow, MBA-HCM, CPHQ, APR, IAHQ President -- stephen.davidow@thepcpi.org -- to join or share session and speaker ideas.
Join or Renew Now and SAVE!
If you renew your membership or join IAHQ by December 31, 2017, at the current annual rate of $50, you will be a member through all of 2018. Starting January 1, 2018, annual membership dues will increase to $99 – a fee similar to other similar sized individual membership associations. NOTE: If you became a member or renewed your membership when you registered for the 2017 annual conference, you will automatically be a member through 2018. Renew or join now! Take advantage of these savings now and begin receiving the following benefits of membership:

  • Discounts for IAHQ annual conference, new webinars and in-person gatherings
  • Monthly IAHQ News, as well as e-Blasts for special offers and opportunities
  • Networking at live events and in the IAHQ LinkedIn discussion forum
  • Recognition among your peers for excellence in QI initiatives
  • Shared resources and awareness of additional QI resources
  • Access to a network of your QI peers in Illinois
  • Job postings in IAHQ News
  • Access to performance improvement resources and discounts from PCPI ( www.thepcpi.org ) – an IAHQ exclusive you cannot receive from any other state or national quality organization.
Upcoming Webinars

The AMA is hosting two webinars that may be of interest to IAHQ members:

Diabetes care begins with Diabetes prevention
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
1:00PM to 2:00PM ET

84 million American adults have prediabetes but only 1 in 10 knows of their condition. This is an opportunity for health systems to initiate clinical practice change and prevent diabetes in their populations. This session will review the evidence base for clinical approaches to diabetes prevention, and describe how physicians and care teams can implement a diabetes prevention initiative within their practice. Kate Kirley, MD, MS, Director of Chronic Disease Prevention and Janet Williams, MA, Senior Program Manager will be presenters. Click here to register.

Physician Well-being: A discussion on burnout and achieving joy in practice
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
1:00PM to 2:00PM ET

With over half of today’s physicians reporting symptoms of burnout, it is apparent that our health care system is not fully on the path to achieving the Quadruple Aim. To ensure the health of our nation, it is essential that we support physician well-being. A healthier physician workforce leads to a healthier population. As awareness of physician burnout increases, many are still unclear on the drivers, the impact, and solutions for addressing the challenge. In this 1-hour webinar, attendees will learn about the current landscape of burnout and its impact on our health care system, along with solutions, tools, and interventions for change. Allison M. Winkler, MPH, AMA Senior Practice Advisor will be the presenter. Click h ere to register.

New Resource

Joint Commission Focuses on Opioid Crisis

Every day, 91 Americans die from an opioid overdose, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. As part of a national effort to address the opioid crisis, The Joint Commission is implementing new and revised pain assessment and management standards, effective January 1, 2018. The standards are applicable to all Joint Commission-accredited hospitals. 

To help hospitals better understand and comply with the pain standards, The Joint Commission has released a new R3 Report. The report provides in-depth rationale, references and evidence that The Joint Commission employed in the development of the new and revised requirements.

To read more about the new standards, click news release.
IAHQ's LinkedIn Group Is Now an Open Forum
In support of IAHQ’s goal to serve as the professional community for quality improvement professionals across the healthcare continuum in Illinois, the IAHQ LinkedIn Group discussion forum will be an open community, although IAHQ membership is strongly encouraged. A few ground rules and expectations apply:
1)     Questions and sharing of lessons is strongly encouraged; solicitation of products or services is NOT (IAHQ has a zero-tolerance policy for solicitation – you will be blocked in the future).
2)     If you have a free, non-commercial offering such as a tool or tool kit, webinar or briefing that has valuable lessons for the IAHQ community, please feel free to share. If you are unsure, send an email to:  i IAHQ.net@gmail.com
3)     Civil interaction is expected. Respect is the basis for all improvement work. If you are unclear what this means, think back to what your parents taught you. This includes: NO YELLING in your electronic communications.
4)     Have fun and make new professional friends! 
Article in Healthcare Burnout and Resilience
Preventing and addressing caregiver burnout
Burnout of frontline caregivers is a real problem for the healthcare field. The downstream impact of burnout on the health care workforce sends a warning signal to future professionals, as well must be a significant factor in our efforts to improve healthcare quality and patient safety. Nationally acclaimed burnout and resilience expert, Paula Davis Laack has spoken at national conferences, including the National Patient Safety Foundation. She has shared an article with IAHQ members, Thriving in Nursing: Your Blueprint for Burnout Prevention.

Although there are systemic causes to burnout, which we need to address including ways that streamline care processes, eliminate waste, and reduce and burden, Ms. Davis Laack’s guidance is based on her own experience in the legal profession and is invaluable. 
Seven Steps of Improvement Work
For anyone looking for a succinct framework for process improvement, IAHQ Board Member, Tony Heath, PhD, Optum Enterprise Quality, has created and shares the following seven steps of improvement work:

1.      With executive leader, reach a shared understanding of the problems and her ideas for solution(s).
2.      Investigate what the frontline staff says about the same problem(s). This is best done face-to-face.
3.      Map the current work process with the frontline staff. I usually do this live in Visio plus a projector.
4.      Identify the wastes (8 Common Lean Wastes) in the current process. Those that see wastes can more easily fix them.
5.      Discuss the “future state” with the line staff and the executives, together when possible.
6.      Work at fixing small problems quickly and larger problems slowly.
7.      Document savings from project and exit, eliciting National Promoter Score (NPS) ratings.
Last Words - Happy Thanksgiving!
As we enter November, we begin the busy holiday season. As Thanksgiving approaches, the IAHQ Board of Directors gives thanks for your involvement in our community, as well as your dedication to improving quality and patient safety across the care continuum for our state’s and region’s patients and families. There is no more important work and it is our honor to serve you and support your efforts.
Illinois Association for Healthcare Quality | IAHQ.net@gmail.com | www.iahq.net