Dissemin is shutting down on January 1st, 2025

Published in

Journal of Rheumatology, The Journal of Rheumatology, 11(47), p. 1712-1720, 2020

DOI: 10.3899/jrheum.190472

Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

Using process improvement and systems redesign to improve rheumatology care quality in a safety net clinic

Distributing this paper is prohibited by the publisher
Distributing this paper is prohibited by the publisher

Full text: Unavailable

Red circle
Preprint: archiving forbidden
Orange circle
Postprint: archiving restricted
Red circle
Published version: archiving forbidden
Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

ObjectiveTo develop and evaluate interventions to improve quality of care in 4 priority areas in an urban safety net adult rheumatology clinic serving a racially/ethnically and socioeconomically diverse patient population.MethodsThe Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Model for Improvement was used to redesign clinical processes to achieve prespecified benchmarks in the following areas from 2015 to 2017: 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) administration among immunocompromised patients; disease activity monitoring with the Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) for patients with rheumatoid arthritis; latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) screening for new biologic users with RA; and reproductive health counseling among women receiving potentially teratogenic medications. We measured performance for each using standardized metrics, defined as the proportion of eligible patients receiving recommended care.ResultsThere were 1205 patients seen in the clinic between 2015 and 2017. Regarding demographics, 71% were women, 88% identified as racial/ethnic minorities, and 45% were eligible for at least 1 of the quality measures. Shewart charts for the PCV13 and CDAI measures showed evidence of improved healthcare delivery over time. Benchmarks were achieved for the CDAI and LTBI measures with 93% and 91% performance, respectively. Performance for the PCV13 and reproductive health counseling measures was 78% and 46%, respectively, but did not meet prespecified improvement targets.ConclusionThrough an interprofessional approach, we were able to achieve durable improvements in key rheumatology quality measures largely by enhancing workflow, engaging nonphysician providers, and managing practice variation.