This poster was created for use by any Community Health Center wanting to increase the involvement of Migrant/Seasonal Farmworker consumers on the board of directors. The poster is designed to be customized to individual sites.
- FWRepresentationBoardRecruitment.doc (118.5 KB)
The scope of the quality improvement program is organization wide and includes activities that monitor and evaluate all phases of the health care delivery system through objective, criteria-based audits, outcome audits, tracking tools, and reporting systems.
- QI Plan 2008.doc (57.5 KB)
“Quality Improvement” (QI) refers to the betterment or enhancement of programs or services. QI develops solutions to the problems noted in the quality reviews and progress reports. Tools used to improve quality include referencing clinical standards, tracking defined programs and measuring outcomes and key indicators, and benchmarking against programs with high levels of performance.
The objectives of the program are to improve employee and patient experiences, to improve health care processes and documentation.
- CQIPlan4.pdf (867.73 KB)
- CQIPlan2.pdf (890.4 KB)
- CQIPlan1.pdf (315.11 KB)
- ChartAuditFormsHomeless.xls (18.5 KB)
- ChartAuditFormsPerinatalGYN.xls (22 KB)
- auditsystems_policy.pdf (542.1 KB)
- Clinicalspecificaudit.xls (24.5 KB)
- HypertensionChartAuditForm.pdf (58.4 KB)
- ChartAuditTool.xls (32.5 KB)
Crafting a policy-relevant research agenda for patient navigation in cancer care.
Journal: Cancer, 117: 3563–3572. doi: 10.1002/cncr.26269
Authors: B. Ashleigh Guadagnolo MD, MPH, Daniel Dohan PhD, Peter Raich MD
Article first published online: 20 JUL 2011
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Racial and ethnic minorities as well as other vulnerable populations experience disparate cancer-related health outcomes. Patient navigation is an emerging health care delivery innovation that offers promise in improving quality of cancer care delivery to these patients who experience unique health-access barriers. Metrics are needed to evaluate whether patient navigation can improve quality of care delivery, health outcomes, and overall value in health care during diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
METHODS:
Information regarding the current state of the science examining patient navigation interventions was gathered via search of the published scientific literature. A focus group of providers, patient navigators, and health-policy experts was convened as part of the Patient Navigation Leadership Summit sponsored by the American Cancer Society. Key metrics were identified for assessing the efficacy of patient navigation in cancer diagnosis and treatment.
RESULTS:
Patient navigation data exist for all stages of cancer care; however, the literature is more robust for its implementation during prevention, screening, and early diagnostic workup of cancer. Relatively fewer data are reported for outcomes and efficacy of patient navigation during cancer treatment. Metrics are proposed for a policy-relevant research agenda to evaluate the efficacy of patient navigation in cancer diagnosis and treatment.
CONCLUSIONS:
Patient navigation is understudied with respect to its use in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Core metrics are defined to evaluate its efficacy in improving outcomes and mitigating health-access barriers.
- ChartAuditForm.xls (29.5 KB)
- DiabeticChartAuditForm.pdf (64.31 KB)
- DiabeticChartAuditForm2.pdf (55.56 KB)
- PediatricAsthmaChartAuditForm.pdf (55.35 KB)
- AsthmaChartAuditForm2.pdf (30.9 KB)
Setting goals with patients is an important step in helping them self-manage their own health-related behaviors. Experienced healthcare teams find that following the two basic principles described below helps patients have more early success, and small successes one after the other builds confidence and effective self-management.
High quality goals are patient-centered and behaviorally specific. Developing high quality goals increases the likelihood of early and sustained self-management success. Modeled after one team’s efforts, the rating scale below represents a simple way to assess if the goals we set are behaviorally specific.
- Goal+setting+quality.doc (36.5 KB)
- FPQualityReview.doc (51 KB)
- SampleQualityCouncilMinutes.pdf (461.71 KB)
- UTIPeerReviewForm.pdf (31.14 KB)
- TobaccoUsePeerReviewForm.pdf (224.73 KB)
Identifying Systems Barriers to Improved Outcomes
- SMSA tool 1.doc (35 KB)
Health Centers can reduce their liability for lawsuits by ensuring they are eligible for coverage by the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), which offers protection akin to medical malpractice insurance to federally-funded Migrant and Community Health Centers. Since Health Centers are required to refer patients to medically-necessary specialty care services that are not within their capacity to provide, it is important to be consider the Health Center’s coverage and potential exposure in the event that problems arise connected to the referral.
- RiskManagementReferrals.pdf (64.67 KB)
In order to meet the needs of special populations such as migrant farmworkers, Health Centers often use non-traditional delivery methods to provide health care. For example, services may be provided at locations other than their own bricks-and-mortar location that are more convenient for patients. Health Centers can reduce their liability for lawsuits from incidents arising while their employees are working off-site by ensuring they are eligible for coverage by the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), which offers protection akin to medical malpractice insurance to federally-funded Migrant and Community Health Centers.
- RiskManagementOffSiteCare.pdf (50.39 KB)
In recognition of the importance of behavioral health as a component of quality health care delivery, HRSA requires health centers to provide these services to their patient population. These are services that are difficult for many MHCs to provide onsite so they must be contracted to outside providers. Behavioral health services may include, but are not limited to, counseling for mental health issues (e.g., depression, anxiety) and substance abuse (e.g., alcohol, recreational drugs). Health centers need to be aware of the special requirements imposed by HIPAA on medical records generated by the provision of behavioral health services, and consider the impact on FTCA coverage of referring patients to outside and/or off-site providers.
- RiskManagementBehavioralHealthCare.pdf (36.27 KB)
As part of their enabling services for farmworkers, Health Centers may provide transportation to and from appointments. In the event of an incident arising from providing this service, Health Centers can implement certain policies and practices to reduce their risk of liability.
- RiskManagementTransportation.pdf (40.9 KB)