The resources in the toolkit can assist primary care teams in streamlining processes and improving care related to cardiovascular health, with a primary focus on controlling blood pressure and reducing smoking rates.
Initiating Program Activities
The activities that take place in the months leading to implementing program activities will prepare Heart Healthy Ohio QIP teams to begin testing interventions using Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycles (PDSAs), submitting monthly Electronic Health Record (EHR) extracts, and testing tools and resources.
Initial activities your practice will engage in include:
- Form a Core Quality Improvement Team. Prior to starting project activities, gain leadership buy-in! Organizational support is critical to implementing an effective and sustainable quality improvement effort. Teams should be comprised of a practice champion, key institutional leaders, and supporting interdisciplinary team members such as a medical assistants, nurses, pharmacists, or community health workers. Smaller workgroups may be necessary to address each Clinical Driver (i.e., Accurate assessment and measurement, Appropriate and Timely Treatment, and Effective Outreach), and to address Foundational Drivers such as Effective Communication (see Key Driver Diagram).
- Extract Electronic Health Record (EHR) data. Your practice should establish a method for abstracting and viewing EHR data elements in conjunction with the Heart Healthy Ohio Project Leadership Team. The EHR data will be used to create run and control charts to inform your practice of progress on achieving SMART aims over time
- Begin to examine how your practice currently assesses and addresses blood pressure and smoking. In particular, begin to examine how your practice ensures consistent accurate office and home blood pressure measurement as well as consistently assesses and addresses smoking using high level process maps with your assigned QI coaches.
- Review the treatment algorithm and standardized visit template and consider adapting for your practice.