VPQ Community Star Award - see page 50
The Vermont Program for Quality in Health Care is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization designated by the Vermont Legislature in 1988 as an independent, non-regulatory, peer review committee. Our organization brings together the entire spectrum of health care voices to focus on quality analysis and improvement.
Our Mission
We improve health care quality in Vermont by studying the system and making it work better:
We serve as a reliable source for data collection and analysis on health care quality.
We establish appropriate and effective standards and measurement tools for quality of care.
We educate health care providers on quality improvement.
We inform consumers and make recommendations to policymakers on issues of health care quality.
Our Vision
To improve the health status of all Vermonters.
Our Aims
The Vermont health care system must be safe, patient centered, effective, efficient, timely and equitable.
Our Strategic goals
1. Partner with state and regional entities to provide balanced and meaningful guidance to inform, align and integrate into the State's Health Care Quality Improvement Plan.
2. Enhance the coordination of patient care across the healthcare continuum to improve healthcare quality and outcomes.
3. Be a resource and neutral mechanism on behalf of quality improvement professionals and providers for training, professional guidance and collaboration.
4. Secure staffing and financial capacity that will allow for an agile and timely approach to identifying, analyzing, adapting and responding to new opportunities that will advance our work.
5. Leverage information technology to advance healthcare quality in the state of Vermont.
What We're doing
We improve the patient experience by:
Supporting community learning collaboratives aimed at improving care coordination
Working with quality leaders to encourage discharge planning to improve patient satisfaction and reduce avoidable readmissions
Publishing health care quality data to guide patient choice
We improve patient safety by:
Monitoring and evaluating patient safety reportable events
Coordinating the statewide implementation of a surgical collaborative to ensure safer surgeries
We work closely with our providers to improve patient care and the overall health of our population by:
Facilitating hospital and physician peer review to ensure best practice
Conducting mock survey visits supporting regulatory compliance to promote high quality care
Facilitating the coordination of care for patients experiencing stroke symptoms to improve patient outcomes