The Agency for Health Research and Quality’s “Telemedicine Safety Program: Improving Diagnostic Processes” is a free quality improvement program designed to help practices improve procedures. cancer diagnosis. It is led by NORC at the University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins University and Baylor College of Medicine.
Diagnosis of cancer is a complex, multi-step process that takes place over time and often involves several specialties. All patients frequently fell through the cracks, leading to delayed or missed diagnoses. Telemedicine adds another layer of complexity and can act as both a barrier and a facilitator of the diagnostic process.
The program aims to improve the cancer diagnosis process in telemedicine-enabled primary care settings by strengthening a culture of safety and enabling practices that close the transition of care and processes. other vulnerabilities during cancer diagnosis.
The AHRQ aims to target key points throughout the diagnostic process where there is an opportunity to reduce delays and improve care coordination.
Because the program is currently recruiting primary care practices, including OB/GYNs, and is scheduled to begin in June, Healthcare IT News sit down with its two investigators to get a closer look.
Dr. Hardeep Singh is the principal investigator. He is a professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, a staff physician at the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and chief of health policy, quality programs, and informatics at the Center for Rehabilitation. Quality, Efficiency and Safety Houston VA.
He co-developed the national VA policy on communication of diagnostic test results, co-chaired the National Quality Forum committee on health information technology safety measurement recommendations, and co-developed the Guidelines ONC’s SAFER, provides national recommendations for the safe use of electronic health records.
Andrea Bradford is the co-investigator. She is a team scientist, licensed psychologist, and associate professor at Baylor College of Medicine. Her primary interest is in developing programs and tools that address gaps in health service and healthcare quality.
In addition to his scientific role, Bradford has over a decade of experience as a clinical psychologist in a medical specialty setting. She established two new integrated health psychology services at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (2010–2016) and Baylor College of Medicine (2016–present).
H. Status of the “AHRQ Safety Program for Telemedicine: Improving Diagnostic Processes”.
Born: We are currently recruiting primary care, OB/GYNs, urgent care and community-based health clinics for the program. Over 18 months, participants will gain the knowledge and practical skills to address some of the gaps in the diagnostic process, such as referrals, monitoring of abnormal test results, and management. handle uncertainty in the diagnosis.
Through a series of short, 30-minute interactive webinars, clinicians and practice staff will learn skills and strategies they can pilot in their practice. The program also includes support for implementing these strategies, including one-on-one consultations with quality improvement advisors and learning collaborative learning sessions with other participating practices.
Although the program is specific to cancer, many concepts can translate to the diagnosis and coordination of care for other diseases.
Q. What should CIOs, CMIOs, and other health IT leaders at healthcare delivery organizations know about this effort?
Bradford: This program will help practices close the loop at critical points in the diagnostic process by leveraging existing technologies and implementing IT in a way that maximizes impact in hybrid environments – both healthcare remote and direct –.
It is free to practice, engages clinicians and staff, and offers expert advice. Most importantly, it can help improve patient safety and prevent harm.
Through the program, practices will also build their own data-learning skills. Support will be provided to build capacity and infrastructure for data collection, reporting, analysis and response. These data will help the practice to accurately identify gaps in existing processes that can be targeted for improvement and assess the impact of any changes.
The program does not require specific electronic health record platforms, configurations or reporting, will not collect any protected health information, and will not identify any patients, clinicians , practice or health system.
Q. What should clinicians involved in telemedicine know about this effort?
Born: This is an exciting opportunity for clinicians to expand their technical knowledge and improve quality of care and patient safety while gaining continuing medical education units, continuing education unit and American Board of Maintenance Medicine Certification score, if eligible.
Recognizing that integrated care is now commonplace, this program will help clinicians understand how to optimize telemedicine adoption in the diagnostic process.
We recognize that clinicians have busy schedules and competitive needs, so the program focuses on solutions where practice approaches can be easily implemented, while also offering workshops web and co-learning opportunities in a variety of formats and times.
The webinar is brief (30 minutes) and will be made available for asynchronous viewing. The team will only need to spend about two hours per month on the program – which includes attending webinars, reviewing program materials, and meeting with their practice team and quality improvement advisors. An employee will allocate an extra hour each month to complete data collection forms.
Another benefit of this program is that it can appeal to all types of practitioners. Practice groups may include clinicians, residents, and fellows; mid-level providers such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners; clinical support staff, including nurses and medical assistants; and, if applicable, the planners and practice staff who coordinate or navigate care.
The program provides flexibility for employees to learn in a way that fits their schedule and preferred learning mode by providing both live and recorded webinars, as well as online access to presentations, facilitator guides, and accompanying learning tools and resources.
Our program staff are dedicated to helping practices succeed and will work closely with participating practices to troubleshoot any issues should they arise.
Q. What was the end result of this effort?
Bradford: It is our hope that participatory practices will implement enhanced diagnostic procedures leading to fewer patients with delayed or missed cancer diagnoses. Although the program focuses on cancer, the strategies learned in this program are transferable and may also contribute to improving the diagnosis of other conditions.
Through webinars, coaching, and collaborative learning, we anticipate participants will learn best practices for closing the loop at critical points in the cancer diagnosis process in the environment. telemedicine, better prepared to serve a growing number of patients through telemedicine, and featuring skills that help improve patient safety, prevent harm, and improve quality provide care.
We are very excited about this program and highly encourage institutions to consider participating. The application deadline is May 25, 2023. You can contact us at [email protected].
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