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June 2011
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Mark Splaine, MS, MD |
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The Academy for Healthcare Improvement is pleased to sponsor the Scientific Symposium in partnership with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement as part of the National Forum on Quality Improvement in Health Care. The National Forum is a premier conference on improvement in healthcare, attracting thousands of health care professionals from around the world. Through workshops, plenary sessions and special interest meetings, the National Forum will showcase leading edge theory from improvement experts as well as real-life case studies of successful improvement efforts in health care organizations. As part of the 23rd Annual National Forum, to be held December 4-7 in Orlando, Florida, the 17th Annual International Scientific Symposium sponsored by AHI will be held on December 5. Abstract guidelines and online submission instructions will be functional on the AHI website soon. (See details below). AHI encourages its members to submit
abstracts in three general topic areas: health services delivery, health
professions education, and quality improvement or research methods.
Top-rated abstracts will be selected for oral presentations. Additional
highly rated abstracts will be selected for poster-only presentation. A
special thanks to Linda Headrick, Chair of the planning committee. |
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Online Abstract Submission to Open at www.a4hi.org |
In cooperation with Degnon Associates, AHI’s management firm, a proprietary online program has been designed by which all abstracts for potential presentation at the 2011 Scientific Symposium on December 5 must be submitted via the new www.a4hi.org website. The abstract submission deadline is September 2, 2011. The abstract submission process is open to AHI members and non-members alike. However, AHI encourages all presenters to become members of the organization. AHI welcomes all submissions, which will be competitively selected through peer-review. Each paper session will be moderated by an international health care leader, and all presenters will prepare a 10-minute presentation followed by 10 minutes of discussion. Previous Symposia have featured work in geriatric team care, reduced antibiotic prescribing, diabetes care, electronic reporting and patient safety, errors in medication/prescribing, access and quality, urgent care outcomes, reducing prescription costs for indigent patients, crew training and system improvement. To view previous presentations, visit our archives on the AHI website by clicking here. |
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Creation of new AHI Website! |
If you haven’t done so already, please take time to walk
through the newly redesigned Academy for Healthcare Improvement’s website at www.a4hi.org. Now that the redesign is
complete, our next step is to build on this solid internet foundation to
create an interactive, dynamic site which houses information relevant to
healthcare improvement for the review and usage of not only AHI members, but
all those involved in promoting the efficiency and advancement of healthcare
delivery systems. Please
submit your ideas and work for posting/sharing to the AHI office.
Extremely user-friendly, there is also a members-only section restricted to active AHI members. We are continuing to enhance this area of the website which we intend to become a great member benefit. Topic areas available to all Internet users include but are not limited to information on AHI membership, the AHI Scientific Symposium, AHI Research and Education News and AHI Leadership listings. In addition, as mentioned elsewhere in this newsletter, a new online abstract submission process is scheduled to be released shortly. Feel free to send any comments, constructive or complimentary, to the AHI office by e-mail to a4hi@a4hi.org or by phone to 703/556-9222. |
Strategic
Planning Underway by AHI Board
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To ensure the continued and future success and vibrancy of AHI, the Board of Directors held a 2-day meeting earlier this year to create a mission, vision and values along with 5 goals that will be our area of focus for the next few years. We are excited to share with you the Strategic Plan for 2011-2014 has been outlined as follows: Mission: The Academy for Healthcare Improvement is an inter-professional community that advances quality improvement in health care through scholarly and educational activities. Vision: We strive for a high value,
continuously improving, health care system. Values: o Science advancing the continuous improvement of health, health care, and value o Scholarship o Inter-professional collaboration o Professional development and leadership o Cultural awareness AHI Goals: Goal # 1: Thriving Membership and Funding Be the organization of choice for professionals in quality improvement and therefore have the necessary infrastructure and resources. Goal # 2: Communication / Publication Provide a retrievable repository of QI information, publications, and resources and to engage in ongoing communications with members and stakeholders on the organization’s activities, events, and field of QI. Goal # 3: Education/Professional
Development/Scholarship Develop the methods and learning opportunities in the health professional education about quality, safety and value. Goal # 4:
Networking/Relationships/Collaboration Develop the methods and learning opportunities for how to teach about quality, safety and value; use this in one’s own professional development; and describe approaches for studying and writing about this work. Goal # 5: Public Policy/Funding for Field Aim to help members to shape the culture, policies and standards so that quality improvement methods are welcomed when they are part of the appropriate tools to use, including in funding, training, and evaluation. |
Help
AHI Build Its Strong Membership Foundation by Referring Colleagues!
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AHI is off to an incredibly strong start. Membership
recruitment and retention efforts are well underway and we need your help to
continue the momentum! We encourage you to share information about AHI with
your colleagues who are involved in health care quality improvement
initiatives. Membership dues remain modest in order to attract and retain
leaders in the field. To sign on as a new AHI member, simply visit
the membership section of the AHI website and sign up online. |
AHI
Lauds Partnership for Patients to Improve Care and Lower Costs for Americans
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Mark E. Splaine, MD, of the Dartmouth Institute and President of AHI stated, “The initiative announced by Drs. Sebelius and Berwick is a critical next step in improving the healthcare system in the US. The Academy for Healthcare Improvement (AHI) fully endorses this effort. AHI will work to activate the health professional faculty and students of its membership to participate in this initiative and to help understand its impact on patients, families and health professionals.” The news release was distributed broadly across news and healthcare media outlets as well as to Congressional and Federal offices and is posted on the home page of the of the AHI Website. |
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The AHI would like to develop this communication vehicle into a well-read, informative and newsworthy transmission. We seek the help of our members to aid in transforming our e-newsletter into a respected, regular missive and request that you submit quality improvement items of interest to the AHI office so that we can share work their colleagues are doing with the members and newsworthy items. Please feel free to forward news of interest to a4hi@a4Hi.org on an ongoing basis. Thanks for your support! |
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Four new award-winning curricular submissions have been
added to the educational resources available on the AHI website.
Winners of the AHI Duncan Neuhauser Award for Curricular Innovation were
named at the December 2010 AHI Meeting in Orlando, Florida. The
curricular submissions that earned these honors have been posted, in hopes
that other health educators will find them of use in the teaching of
improvement skills: · 1st Place Winner: “Comprehensive Patient Safety Curriculum”, submitted by Dr. Anne Kearney and 13 other educators from Memorial University in Newfoundland. · 2nd Place Winner: “Stoneman Rotation in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety: a Resident-focused Initiative”, submitted by Dr. Anjala Tess and 14 other faculty from Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital and Harvard Medical School. · 3rd Place Winner: “Integrating Quality Improvement Across the Continuum: The University of Chicago Experience,” submitted by Drs. Lisa Vinci, Julie Oyler, and Vineet Aurora from the University of Chicago School of Medicine. · Special Recognition for a Student-led Initiative: “Fundamentals of Quality Improvement in Healthcare: An Interdisciplinary Elective”, submitted by Irving Ye and 13 other students from the Vanderbilt University Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Management. In addition, curricular offerings have been added to the AHI website in 2011: · “Using Medical Simulation to Teach Challenging Issues in Medical Ethics in Real Time”, submitted by Dr. David Pederson of Ross University. · “The Start of Your Lean Healthcare Journey”, submitted by Dr. Earll Murman, of the Massachusetts Institute for Technology. AHI will be accepting submissions of curriculum dealing with the improvement of health care for the 2011 Duncan Neuhauser Award in Curricular Innovation until October 3, 2011. Look for more details about the submission process soon on the AHI website. |
Call
for Nominations
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We are seeking volunteers to get involved with AHI in order to help transform the organization into the dynamic, thriving organization we foresee it to be. There are many opportunities for AHI members to become active in the leadership of the organization. Two distinct options are available to all AHI members: Board of Directors and Committee Membership. Two board members are scheduled to end their board service at the end of 2011. Members shall serve on the Board for a term of four (4) years. A Member may not serve more than two (2) consecutive terms of four (4) years. AHI has a number of active committees, which are constantly seeking volunteer participation by members. We are also seeking individuals to chair a variety of committees. AHI committees include but are not limited to the following:
Most committees are listed with an e-mail link for its chair and its specific objectives and goals on the AHI Website here. AHI members are highly encouraged to reach out to committee chairs to express a desire to participate. If you’d like more information please contact Mark Splaine, MD, President or Laura Degnon, CAE, Executive Director. A formal nomination form for prospective Board members will be sent to all eligible AHI members during the last quarter of 2011. |
Flyer
to Promote
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Please encourage your colleagues to become an AHI member. Please share the attached flyer and introduce them to AHI. Feel free to contact the AHI offices at info@a4hi.org you have any questions or comments. |
Complimentary
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Although you may not be a current member of the Academy for Healthcare Improvement, you are receiving this inaugural issue of the AHI’s E-Newsletter on a complimentary basis. Due to your interest in the scholarly and academic methods surrounding healthcare improvement, you have been added to our list of prospective members. If you wish to remain abreast of the latest news and developments in the field of healthcare improvement, you are encouraged to join the AHI. Online membership applications are readily accepted on the AHI website. For further details regarding AHI membership, send an e-mail to a4hi@a4hi.org. |
It is my pleasure to be
sharing with you the first of many “AHI E-news” as one of many member
benefits of AHI. These are exciting times for our field and we are
working hard behind the scenes to make AHI become a strong, vibrant
organization. This inaugural issue of the AHI E-news is intended to
share with you an update of the activities the leaders of AHI have been
involved with over the last 6 months.