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Project Planned for FY 2007 VPQ will produce data analysis that illustrates the quality of and directs improvements in patient safety and health care quality, and guides policy changes in Vermont’s health care system. Vermont Health Care Quality and Annual Report—VPQ will produce the Vermont Health Care Annual Quality Report that incorporates the primary analyses produced throughout the previous year and the annual organizational report. The report organization will be consistent with the six IOM Aims and coordinate to the extent possible with the Hospital Community Reports mandated by Act 53. The report will act as an educational resource for health care issues identified in the report. Additional measures and analysis that can provide critical information in describing the quality of care in the state of Vermont will be identified through a steering committee process. Paper and electronic versions will be available. Any additional analysis will be available as a web addendum upon completion. EQRO-- The EQRO Proposal includes work in the three focus areas: 1) Validation of the DMH co-occurring disorders quality improvement project by evaluating the consensus development (phase I) and state-wide implementation (Phase II) of the Integrated Dual Disorders Treatment (IDDT) program. 2) Evaluation of post-hospitalization care performance standards including development of a performance standard for follow up care of CRT clients after discharge for hospitalization with a primary diagnosis of mental illness. 3) Consultation with DMH on existing CRT quality improvement projects and the planning, implementation and evaluation of future CRT quality improvement projects. In essence, the EQRO will act as a “Research and Development Laboratory”, providing the development, analytic capacity, and expertise to incorporate within the Department. Consulting services may also include empirical evaluation of developed standards, systems implications of validated standards/metrics, and predictive modeling of new/current policies and standards. VDH Asthma Analysis-- VPQ will report on the a) prevalence of asthma among low income Vermonters for 2003 and 2004 calendar years (using Medicaid claims data); b) service utilization patterns of Medicaid clients who have asthma and; c) selected quality assessment indicators. FQHC Efficacy Study— VPQ will complete a longitudinal retrospective study undertaken in the prior contract using medical and pharmaceutical administrative claims data to assess the cost-effectiveness of the health center model serving the Vermont Medicaid population. This study compares beneficiaries enrolled in PC Plus (Vermont’s Medicaid primary care case management program) who have a medical home at Vermont Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Centers (RHCs) to the PC Plus enrollees with a medical home in a private practice setting. The comparison would initially analyze calendar years 2002 and 2003, but is designed as the baseline for a longitudinal study that can be updated with subsequent years’ claims. It will also determine if Federally Qualified Health Center services are cost effective and if expansion of the model would be worth undertaking as well as a guide to decisions concerning future designations of additional FQHCs or FQHC “look-a-likes.” Hospital Community Reports; Act 53; AHQR Inpatient Analysis Measure Reports; and Infection Reporting—VPQ will attend and participate in the Act 53 Hospital Community Work Group, the Infection Reporting Subcommittee, and the Technical Panel identifying salient quality measures for inclusion in public reporting and additional measures to be considered for future reports related to infections measures, nurse staffing and quality indicators. VPQ will serve as a coordinating body between Vermont hospitals and organizations with data reporting mechanisms as the hospitals begin to collect data on infection rates. VPQ will perform analysis and formatting of AHRQ inpatient quality indicators and assist with development of a timeline for adequate collection of data and reporting on selected measures. VPQ will make recommendations to BISHCA on how to accomplish a systematic evaluation of hospital community reports. Pay for Performance--Pay for performance or quality-based purchasing has become an increasingly common feature in the private and public sectors to improve quality. The need for a framework for a common set of metrics upon which to base incentives is mandatory in order to move ahead in the current Vermont market. VPQ will finalize their report and convene subgroups to identify potential Pay for Performance measures for hospitals, physicians and nursing homes and make recommendations on potential measures. Hand Hygiene Deliverables will be determined after an August meeting with VDH. VPQHC will provide expertise and assistance to the health care provider community on a wide range of quality improvement projects, including clinical practice, administration, data tracking and collection, technology innovation and peer review. Vermont Learning Community-- Contractor will provide ongoing support and opportunities to continue the collaboration and networking achieved through previous activity in the chronic care collaboratives and the Blueprint Initiative. Participants may include those communities and practices who have participated in the Chronic Care Collaboratives, have been previously designated Blueprint Pilot Communities or are interested in learning more about the Model for Improvement, the Chronic Care Model and Clinical Microsystems methodologies. Contractor will identify activities that support, maintain and enhance gains achieved from previous participation in the collaboratives and the Blueprint Initiative. Activities include: annually organize and conduct two day-long learning forums; offer regular sharing and learning through conference call and listserv technologies; and offer on-site Community Support and Training to communities not supported by the Blueprint to the extent possible with funding. In addition, VPQ will prepare a report of the capacity and technical expertise necessary to offer web based distance learning/virtual technologies to enhance the learning and sharing opportunities for physicians and other health care providers throughout the state. A proposal will be provided to BISHCA upon completion of this analysis that identifies needed training and equipment to implement the plan. Provider Training-- VPQ will offer two proposed core educational curricula. The first is specifically designed for communities with minimal exposure to the content. The second is designed for communities with previous exposure to both the knowledge-based content and the skills-based content. The educational programs for three new communities will focus on the health care delivery services, self-management services and community resources available to persons with diabetes mellitus. The programs in the three continuing communities will reinforce their work to date centered on diabetes care and build on this foundation to address issues pertinent to persons with hypertension and lipid disorders. The Vermont Learning Community activities will be incorporated into each curriculum. VHR-- VPQ will advance the use of an electronic health information system such as the Vermont Health Record with practices participating in the chronic care collaboratives and other practitioners in the state and continue to develop the registry to meet the needs of the end users, provide public reporting capabilities, and advance the quality of care. Peer Review Activities--Physician Peer Review Panel-- VPQ will provide professional and consultative advice to hospitals regarding safety, quality, credentialing and professional reappointment through the administration and support of the Vermont Physician Peer Review Panel. VDIS-- VPQ will provide administrative support as a peer review committee to the Vermont Diabetes Information System. VT Mammography Registry—VPQ will provide administrative support as a peer review committee to the Vermont Mammography Registry. VPQHC will continue to serve as the state’s premier organization dedicated to quality improvement in health care and to providing expert information and advice to the diverse constituencies it serves. Quality Improvement and Measurement Resource Center-- Contractor will act as the principle resource for expertise, leadership and technical assistance in healthcare quality improvement and measurement in the state by providing independent expertise in quality improvement and quality measurement science to hospitals, practitioners, the public sector and consumers, and by providing technical assistance to local and statewide quality projects. Administrative support to, or participation in, organizations and workgroups throughout the state will include the Vermont Cardiac Network; ExCEL Steering Committee (Excellent Care at End of Life); AHEC (Area Health Education Centers) Statewide Advisory Board; Blueprint Executive Committee and various Blueprint Workgroups; VITL (Vermont Information Technology Leaders) Board chair; Birth Information Network Advisory Committee; Multipayer Advisory Committee; and VTADE (Vermont Association of Diabetes Educators). Multipayer Database--VPQ will work with the State and stakeholders to enhance the ability of Vermont consumers and payers to make informed and cost-effective health care choices. This will be accomplished by assisting the State and stakeholders to obtain necessary approvals for claims inclusion, and identify opportunities for useful analyses of health care needs; identifying other ways to utilize data for specific inquiries that could drive quality improvement for publicly and privately covered Vermonters; and identifying opportunities to incorporate, to the extent feasible, data from claims to practice based information systems. Technical Advice to BISHCA—VPQ will: provide educational curriculum for POC aimed at understanding the use, design and limitation of various analyses and available discharge data sets; consultative and expert assistance on CON matters (probable range of from one to three projects), as selected by the State and within the scope of available resources; assistance in evaluating health care quality issues and determining appropriate approaches to assuring health care quality in Vermont again, within the scope of available resources. VPQ will assist BISHCA with a project to encourage common provider profiling and pooling of profiling data among managed care organizations. This assistance may include but is not limited to:
VPQHC will ensure it has adequate financial resources and staffing capacity to maintain a high level of excellence, to achieve its external goals, and to respond to unique opportunities and identified needs as they arise. |
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Email: mail@vpqhc.org
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Vermont
Program for Quality in Health Care, Inc. |
