The inaugural UNC Medical Center Quality and Safety Awards were held at the Medical Center Improvement Council (MCIC) meeting on January 14th in Cancer Hospital, Conference Room 1. Although quality and safety efforts are often celebrated at the department level, this program was created to elevate the recognition of outstanding improvement to the level of … Continued

IHQI extends congratulations to Associate Director, Dr. Matt Nielsen, who will assume the role of Interim Chair of the Department of Urology, effective January 1, 2020. We know Dr. Nielsen will bring exceptional leadership to this new role. Dr. Nielsen responded, “I love this place and the people here—it is a huge honor to have … Continued

IHQI Improvement Scholar, Dr. Meredith Gilliam, was featured on WRAL News on November 11, 2019, to share tips for minimizing falls by older adults. IHQI is pleased that Dr. Gilliam’s knowledge of how best to address this issue could be shared with a broad audience. Dr. Gilliam’s IHQI project focused on Geriatric Bone Health has … Continued

In 2017, Dr. Dan Jonas led the IHQI Improvement Scholar project, “Implementation of Screening and Interventions for Unhealthy Alcohol Use.” That project developed into, “STUN (STop UNhealthy) Alcohol Use Now,” which became one of six grantees in a $16 million federal initiative to help primary care practices increase efforts to address patients’ unhealthy alcohol use. … Continued

The UNC Institute for Healthcare Quality Improvement (IHQI) is soliciting applications from UNC School of Medicine and Health Care System clinicians who want to develop improvement leadership skills by participating in the IHQI Improvement Scholars Program. Selected Improvement Scholars will participate in the program and lead a clinical improvement project from Sept 1, 2020 – Aug 31, 2021. Application … Continued

UNC Hospital’s 11th annual Quality Expo, organized by Performance Improvement & Patient Safety (PIPS), was held in the Bondurant lobby on October 17th and 18th. This year’s theme was, “Quality is Our Business,” and was organized as part of the National Association for Healthcare Quality’s Healthcare Quality Week. Four IHQI Improvement Scholars and one Improvement … Continued

IHQI congratulates Dr. Casey Olm-Shipman in her new role as Director of Quality Improvement for the Department of Neurology. In this position, Dr. Olm-Shipman will work with Department of Neurology faculty and trainees to: facilitate the identification and prioritization of quality and safety goals within the Department of Neurology. promote alignment of departmental quality improvement … Continued

IHQI’s 5th Annual Improvement Scholars Symposium was held on September 19, 2019, in Old Clinic Auditorium. Six Improvement Scholars and two Improvement Fellows presented the results of their quality improvement projects that began last fall, and a poster reception followed. Laura Brown, IHQI Executive Director, kicked off the program by introducing the IHQI Associate Directors, … Continued

Congratulations to UNC’s Pediatric and Adult Programs in Cystic Fibrosis for receiving the 2019 Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Quality Care Award: Recognizing Outstanding QI Processes and Accomplishments. IHQI received news of this award from 2017 Improvement Scholar, Dr. Jen Goralski, who presented her project, “Cystic Fibrosis Transitions: From Pediatric to Adult Care” at IHQI’s 3rd Annual … Continued

IHQI was honored to welcome Dr. Michelle Schreiber, Director of Quality Measurement and Value Based Incentives Program Group at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), for a Speaker Series event on September 11, 2019, in Old Clinic Auditorium. IHQI Director, Dr. Darren DeWalt, opened the program, and Dr. Jennifer Elston Lafata, IHQI Associate … Continued