From the President’s Desk
As we welcome the changing seasons in Arkansas with the beautiful colors that make our state one to be thankful for, it reminds me of the changing landscape of health care that we could never have predicted 20 years ago. It goes without saying that you can’t stand still or you will be left behind. At one point we set our goals for a year or more, and we worked toward those goals earnestly. Now we change our targets multiple times a year to keep up with nationally recognized standards. Rapid cycle improvement processes are just how you do business in the current ever-changing environment. Twenty years ago, I didn’t know what the “Final Rule” was; now I wait earnestly for the release so I can scour the pages and pages of new rules with which we must comply, and that process takes an endless supply of good coffee!
Our Spring Patient Safety Conference on April 10th was a huge success! Each of our speakers gave us both engaging and insightful ideas about promoting transparency and reducing variations in care to improve patient outcomes. Many thanks to American Data Network for the gift of Dr. Marty Makary’s book, Unaccountable, which he graciously
signed for attendees. We appreciate each of our exhibitors and vendors; they are vital to our continued success.
In April, three of your board members – Phyllis, Lynnette, and I – attended the NAHQ Care Transition Summit in Philadelphia. We heard from Cheri Lattimer, the executive director for National Transitions of Care Coalition. She gave us insight on a collaborative approach to breaking down silos of care. Pamela Greenhouse, executive director for
the PFCC Innovation Center, provided step-by-step insight to achieve success on your patient and family engagement journey. Melissa Thomason, a patient adviser, shared her story of navigating the health care system and what she learned in the process.
You are in for a real treat – these speakers were so impressive that we asked them to come to our fall conference Nov. 13 and share their insight into care transitions, patient safety, and patient and family engagement with you.
Have you had an opportunity to check out NAHQ core competencies? The first competency is Health Data Analytics, and registration is open for multiple learning labs for this competency. There is a small cost associated with each lab, and CPHQ credit is available. You can find more information at NAHQ’s website.
Topics include:
• Health Data Analytics
• Population Health and Care Transitions
• Performance and Process Improvement
• Regulatory and Accreditation
• Quality Review and Accountability
• Patient Safety
Ladies and gentlemen, batten down the hatches and roll up your sleeves, because this is a journey that continues on.
Sincerely,
Connie Taylor
AAHQ President
Save the Date: AAHQ Fall Conference
The annual AAHQ fall conference will be Nov. 13 at the Morris Student Center at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock. This year’s proposed theme is Transitional Care: Patient and Family Engagement. Speakers include:
• Cheri Lattimer, BSN, executive director of the National Transitions of Care Coalition
• Dayna Jornsay-Hester, M.Ed., an organizational development consultant for the Patient and Family Centered Care Innovation Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
• Melissa Thomason, BS, Chair of the East Carolina Heart Institute’s Patient Advisory Council
AAHQ is also developing a panel of Arkansas facilities to discuss their experiences incorporating patient voices in care transitions.
Poster presentations are being sought for the meeting. Share your facility’s quality story and be eligible for prizes. Sign-ups will be available through the conference registration form. Conference brochures and registration information will be sent out soon.
Healthcare Quality Week 2015
This year’s Healthcare Quality Week is scheduled for Oct. 18-24. This week-long celebration highlights the work of health care quality professionals and their influence on improved patient care outcomes and health care delivery systems.
In 2015, we are celebrating Healthcare Quality Week by recognizing the influence that health care quality professionals have in health care delivery systems and their impact on positive patient outcomes. AAHQ will request a proclamation from Gov. Asa Hutchinson to commemorate the week.
We want to ensure all of your efforts are honored. Define what Healthcare Quality Week means to your organization by highlighting your contributions to the field and sharing them with us by emailing them to Janie Ginocchio, communications team leader, at jginocchio@afmc.org. Submissions will be published in the next newsletter.
Looking for ways to plan for Healthcare Quality Week? Visit our HQW Resources to learn about ways you can celebrate.
Announcements
Call for Nominations
The AAHQ board is seeking nominations for the office of president elect. To find out more information or to nominate someone, contact Sandy Griner, AAHQ past president, at sandra.grinder@va.gov.
Proposed Changes to Bylaws
Several proposed changes to AAHQ’s bylaws were sent out to the membership in June. One of the most important changes is requiring the organization’s president to be a CPHQ during their term. A vote to accept or reject these changes will be held during the business meeting at the fall conference. Contact Cindy Harris at charris@arkhospitals.org to request a copy of the changes to review before the meeting.
AAHQ 2015 Member of the Year
By Lynnette Jack
Professional Development Team Co-Leader
Shannon Finley, MSN, RN, received the AAHQ 2015 Member of the Year award at the 2015 Patient Safety Conference, held April 10 at the Meyer Student Center at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock. She works as a QA coordinator in the Quality Management Department of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and has made outstanding contributions to quality in Arkansas. Shannon has presented at AAHQ and NAHQ on the revamping of the mortality review process at UAMS and has served as a resource for other quality professionals. She will be serving as co-team leader for AAHQ’s Professional Development Team. Congratulations to Shannon!
Finance Team Report
By Louise Hickman
Finance Team Leader
The goal of the Finance Team is to manage funds to support the mission, vision, goals and objectives of AAHQ. Some of the objectives include:
• Establish corporate sponsorships to alleviate expenses of each education conference
• Raise funds to submit a minimum $500 donation to the Healthcare Quality Foundation (HQF) annually and sponsor silent auction items at selected conferences each year
• Provide stipends for delegates/alternates to National Association of Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) annual meetings or the State Leadership Summit, if funds are available
• Oversee the availability of funds to support day-to-day operations of AAHQ (such as printing, AAHQ pins, postage, etc)
• Secure a sponsor for development and maintenance of AAHQ website
The value of strategic collaborations has truly proven to be an investment in the Arkansas health care quality community. Partnerships have proven to be beneficial to the organization as demonstrated by provision of supplies and AV equipment, donations for door prizes, and representation on AAHQ Board by both American Data Network and the Arkansas Foundation Medical Care.
Reimbursement for the CPHQ examination may be considered for members applying for assistance if funds are available. If you are interested, you may contact any board member, who will be able to respond to any questions you may have about this benefit.
Stipends and/or grants to attend NAHQ conferences may also be provided to a minimum number of members who apply and are approved (pending availability of funds). This is an effort to involve the membership in attendance at NAHQ annual conferences. Virtual conferences are now being considered as a part of this application process. If you are interested, you may contact any board member who will be able to respond to any questions you may have about this benefit.
The financial viability of the AAHQ is strong as evidenced with the June 30, 2015, ending balance of $29,031.20. The AAHQ financial year begins in July and ends in June. The current balance as of Aug. 28, 2015, is $26,252.18.
At our conferences, we plan to have a silent auction during the break times. If you are interested in donating any items for auction, please contact any member of the AAHQ board.
2015 Patient Safety Conference Recap
By Lynnette Jack
Professional Development Team Co-Leader
AAHQ partnered with American Data Network (ADN) and the Arkansas Organization of Nurse Executives (ArONE) for an outstanding 2015 Patient Safety Conference on April 10. An impressive slate of national speakers presented on a variety of patient safety topics. Dr. Marty Makary reprised his presentation given at the 2014 NAHQ national conference and discussed the impact of transparency on health care and what the future holds for patient safety and health care. ADN graciously provided copies of Dr. Makary’s book, Unaccountable, to all attendees. Paul Dwyer discussed the legal ramifications of patient safety organizations and the confidentiality of submitted information. Ken Rohde, a returning speaker for AAHQ, presented an excellent overview of occurrence reporting and how it works within patient safety.
A short business meeting was held during the lunch break for AAHQ, and the member of the year, Shannon Finley, was recognized. A new venue, Pulaski Academy’s Meyer Student Center, was used for the conference and attendees appreciated the ample parking, location, and facility. Below are selected comments from the event evaluations:
• The location was great! Thank you for always providing us with great opportunities for educational development. Also today’s topics were very relevant and important to our role as hospital personnel!
• Enjoyed the day. Great speakers, great venue, engaging conversations. Look forward to future educational opportunities.
• Excellent choice of speakers! Quality!
• Great conference! Learned a whole bunch!
• Very good conference! Thank You!
• Great facility. Thank you so much for the book Happy, Happy
AAHQ is proud to partner with such great organizations and offer 5.2 continuing education hours for nursing and CPHQ. The Professional Development Team is busy planning future education conferences and we want to hear from you! If you have any suggestions for future conferences or wish to serve on the Professional Development Team, please contact Lynnette Jack (ljack@mqrs.net) or Shannon Finley (shannon.finley@uams.edu).
Our sponsors
ARKANSAS FOUNDATION FOR MEDICAL CARE
Julie Kettlewell, RNP, AVP of Quality Programs 1020 West 4th Street, Suite 300
Little Rock, AR 72201 Phone 501-212-8740
E-Mail jkettlewell@afmc.org Website www.afmc.org
The Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care (AFMC) was incorporated in 1972 as a private, nonprofit educational organization dedicated to the evaluation and improvement of health care. We are the federally designated quality improvement organization (QIO) for Arkansas. Our staff includes physicians, nurses, statisticians, educators, communicators – professionals with widely varied expertise, at various stages of life and career, who have been on both sides of the health care system. We work with staff in every health care setting and offer free tools and resources, such as educational materials for patients and providers and help with Medicare and Medicaid issues. We review certain types of health care paid for by Medicare and Medicaid to ensure high-quality, cost-effective care and to resolve beneficiary concerns. We help find evidence-based ways to improve preventive care as well as treatment and management of specific illnesses and conditions. We are also a health information technology regional extension center (HITREC), federally funded to provide technical assistance to health care providers as they make the transition to electronic health records. Our roles and responsibilities are constantly evolving, but they all serve the purpose of building support systems and partnerships, and helping focus the efforts of the health care community, agencies and organizations toward common goals. Together, we’re working to make health care safer, more effective and more efficient.
BANCORPSOUTH INSURANCE SERVICES, INC.
Tom Hesselbein, CPCU, Executive VP, Healthcare (Ramsey, Krug, Farrell & Lensing)
8315 Cantrell Road, Suite 300 Little Rock, AR 72227 Phone 501-614-1134 Email Tom_Hesselbein@rkfl.com
AMERICAN DATA NETWORK
Jamie Walden, Public Relations Manager
10809 Executive Center Dr., Searcy Building Suite 300 Little Rock, AR 72211 Phone 501-225-5533 email jwalden@americandatanetwork.com www.americandatanetwork.com
Founded in 1994, American Data Network provides clinical, quality, safety and financial data applications and services to healthcare executives, allowing them to better manage costs and care quality, influence physician practice patterns and meet demands for public accountability and disclosure.
