University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Division of General Medicine & Clinical Epidemiology

Quality Improvement Work

In order to achieve our goal of improving the health status of North Carolina adults, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Division of General Internal Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology is dedicated to promoting an environment supportive of continuous quality improvement. We aim to improve patient care by identifying barriers to patient satisfaction and quality patient care, as well as by comparing our clinic to national standards. We utilize continuous quality improvement methods to approach an issue in a systematic way based on measures and current evidence with the aim of testing an intervention and measuring results rapidly.

We encourage faculty, residents, students and staff to lead and participate in quality improvement projects being conducted in the clinic. We are dedicated to teaching quality improvement to faculty, residents, students and staff within our clinic as well as others outside our clinic by sharing our quality improvement data, experience and tools. Members of our division also participate in UNC Healthcare System improvement projects such as "The PACE initiative", which aims to improve patient access to provider appointments, and a Wilmington AHEC quality improvement training series.

Here are some important quality improvement links:


Monthly Reports

The Enhanced Care Programs rigorously evaluate care provided on a monthly basis in multidisciplinary meetings. We track key measures that allow us to compare ourselves with other practices as well as compare measures over time. Continuous assessment of key program measures allows us to identify areas of focus for quality improvement projects. Click here for our Enhanced Care Website.

Quality Improvement Projects

We have multiple quality improvement projects being conducted in our clinic. The Enhanced Care Team care assistants as well as residents in the ambulatory care continuity elective are required to complete a project. We use Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) worksheets to help organize, design and summarize each project. Each cycle of a PDSA represents work focused around a particular test or intervention and any one project can be comprised of multiple cycles of change each led by a different person. Each project or cycle is usually led by one person with group input during the process. Click below to see past and ongoing projects.

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AHEC Training Series

The objective of this CME activity is to improve the care of patients with diabetes by reviewing core topics in diabetes care, measuring performance, implementing reliable care processes, and gaining momentum for ongoing improvement after the end of the series. Specifically:

  1. Improve the care of diabetic patients in one area. Pick one measure to focus on. We strongly suggest choosing a process measure to start (don't choose A1C, BP control, or cholesterol control to start).
  2. Use small scale "real-time" measurement to drive improvement.
  3. Measure performance on an interval basis over the course of the CME activity. (Recommend overall performance measurement every 1-2 months.)
  4. Develop understanding and skills to sustain improvement activities.

Lectures

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Quality Improvement Tools

 


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