New program supports physicians leading quality improvements
Physicians, are you passionate about finding better ways to care for patients? Struggling to make improvements off the side of your desk? Feeling unsupported and isolated? We have some good news for you . . .
The Specialist Services Committee (SSC) is partnering with Vancouver Coastal Health and Providence Health Care and providing annual funding of $1.3 million to support physician involvement in quality improvement (QI) through the recently launched Physician Led Quality Improvement program (PQI).
“I’m really excited about PQI,” says Dr. Vinay Dhingra, chair, Physician-Led QI Steering Committee. “I believe strongly in quality improvement and in physician leadership at the bedside.”
“Physicians are experts in the content and have a unique perspective on the healthcare system. They can see things that can be done to improve care but they can sometimes feel stuck in moving the system the way they believe it needs to go. The structures and supports of PQI have been designed to meet our local needs within VCH and PHC and to align with the areas of quality identified as priorities. The program provides the tools and support to help physicians develop valuable skills in quality improvement, change management, and looking at data through a quality lens.”
Physicians are experts in the content and have a unique perspective on the healthcare system. They can see things that can be done to improve care but they can sometimes feel stuck in moving the system the way they believe it needs to go
5 components of Physician Led Quality Improvement (PQI)
PQI is guided by the IHI Triple Aim to build a culture within the physician community that enables widespread engagement and collaboration with VCH and PHC to improve the quality of patient care.
Oversight is provided by a Steering Committee made up of Physicians as well as reps from the Physician Quality team, Quality & Patient Safety teams, patient partners and the SSC.
Members of the committee and the VCH/PHC Physician Quality team are working together to build an effective structure and support system, including training sessions; funding for projects; QI coaching, technical staff to help with data analysis, and a network of like minded colleagues.
A number of full-day training sessions on quality improvement were held in March. More than 50 physicians participated and the response has been positive.
Small changes can make a big difference
Dr. Jei Park, one of the physicians who attended a training session, said that one of the biggest “aha moments” for him is that quality projects don’t have to be big and intimidating to make a difference.
Another physician who attended the training, Dr. Alex Wong says “From a day-to-day practice, I see a number of things – even small things – that could potentially be done differently and could result in significant improvement in patient care.”
All physicians who work at Vancouver Coastal Health or Providence Health Care can access support for their own QI project – whether or not they attended one of the recent training sessions- by completing the intake form. Deadline is May 29th. The more value you can demonstrate in relation to patient care, health authority operations, cost savings, etc. – the easier it will be to gain support and buy-in.
Video not working? YouTube may not be supported by your version of Internet Explorer. Copy and paste this URL into Google Chrome: https://youtu.be/IAXJxBpgj0w
About SSC
The Specialist Services Committee (SSC) is one of four joint collaborative committees that represent a partnership of the Government of BC and Doctors of BC, and includes regular representation from health authorities. SSC formed in 2006 under the Physician Master Agreement to help Doctors of BC, BC government and health authorities collaborate on the delivery of specialist services and support improvement of the specialist care system in BC
For more information about PQI at VCH, check out the information on the Medical Staff web site.