Webinar Series: Taking Clinical Quality to the Next Level

This series of live webinars covered a variety of topics on quality improvement related to EMS and systems of care for time sensitive emergencies. The series was produced by the American College of Cardiology and the Center for Systems Improvement. 

Making the Leap to Improvement Science

This first module of the series starts with a some historical context for quality management and an examination of how the typical EMS or hospital quality program’s improvement projects can benefit from a more rigorous approach that more directly applies the principles and tools of the scientific method – commonly referred to as improvement science. The presentation concludes with an example that clarifies the calculation of quality, cost and value – and why value is going to take on a much more important role in how EMS and healthcare is evaluated moving forward. The question and answer session from the live webinar, moderated by AJ Heightman, Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS), is also presented.

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Structuring Your Organization for Quality

When trying to conduct quality improvement (QI) projects, EMS agencies often run into bandwidth issues. As a result, many projects are not started or left incomplete. This webinar introduces a strategy that can dramatically expand an EMS agency’s capacity to do QI projects that make a measurable impact. The strategy, called ‘Team-Based Quality Management’ has several components that include: Clinical Specialty Teams, Ad Hoc Improvement Project Teams, and EMS Clinical Specialists – with oversight and support from the senior management team of the EMS agency. 

Join Mic Gunderson, with moderators Tom Bouthillet and Tim Phalen, for this insightful webinar.

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Structuring Your System for Quality

This webinar offers ways to design/adjust the structure of the systems of care in a community or region to improve their capacity to conduct quality improvement projects. It also discusses ways to combine separate time sensitive systems of care groups for trauma, STEMI, stroke, etc. into one combined group with separate condition specific sub-committees.

The main presentation is given by Mic Gunderson, with Tim Phalen and Tom Bouthillet as commentators.

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Project Teams, Charters and Senior Management

This webinar continues the drill down into the elements of the Team-Based Quality Model. It explores the use of ad hoc improvement project teams, improvement project charters, and the crucial role of the senior management team. The main presentation is given by Mic Gunderson, with Tim Phalen as serving as moderator. 

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Clinical Specialty Teams

Continuing the exploration of elements in the Team-Based Quality Model, this webinar explores the use of ad hoc improvement project teams, and improvement project charters. The main presentation is given by Mic Gunderson, with Tin Phalen as serving as moderator

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EMS Clinical Specialists

This module explores the vision and implementation for a new EMS job description – the EMS Clinical Specialist. This is also an element of the Team-Based Quality Model. These clinical specialists receive extensive training in the methods of improvement science and in their specific clinical area. This prepares them to play a major role in stewardship and facilitating  improvements for their clinical specialty area. 

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Clinical Performance Requirements in EMS

This webinar discusses the idea of adding clinical performance requirements to EMS provider organizations. EMS providers are typically held accountable in policies or performance contracts for their response times, but not explicitly for their clinical performance. Mic Gunderson’s presentation at the start of the webinar explains the issues and proposes ways that clinical performance accountability might be implemented with private and government operated EMS services. A panel discussion follows with Dr. Jeff Jarvis, Glenn Leland, and Tom Wieczorek.

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Implementing Time Sensitive Care Coalitions

This webinar will explore the multi-condition time sensitive care coalition model. It will explain the problems that come from siloed efforts, the challenges of organizing systems of care coalitions, and then presents ideas and resources that can be used to implement and operate these types of coalitions.

You’re invited to join Mic Gunderson and commentator Tim Phalen for this fascinating webinar from the American College of Cardiology and the Center for Systems Improvement.

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EMS STEMI Alerts: Improving Accuracy

This webinar discusses EMS STEMI Alerts in systems of care. The role and importance of EMS STEMI Alerts are described. The definition of overcall and undercalls are explored followed by discussion of ways to balance them to optimize clinical quality and operational efficiency. A panel discussion with Tom Bouthillet, Tim Phalen and Mic Gunderson follows. The panelists then respond to questions and comments from the live attendees.

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System Level Measurement and Improvement

Measuring and improving performance at a systems-level has several unique challenges. In order to measure how well the system of care for a time sensitive emergency is working, we need to combine data across multiple entities in ways that can be politically, technically and logistically challenging. This webinar will identify several of the more common challenges and then offer insights and suggestions on how to overcome them.

You’re invited to join Mic Gunderson and moderator Tim Phalen for this free webinar from the American College of Cardiology and the Center for Systems Improvement.

 

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Advanced Performance Metrics: Process Capability and the Process Capability Index

This webinar describes how process capability indexes contrast the reality of process performance against process specifications. Process specifications often have  lower and upper limits – like too slow or fast, large or small, etc. The example used in the webinar tells the story of an ad hoc improvement project team that went through several process changes to improve their chest compression rate compliance to AHA resuscitation guidelines, which sets performance specifications between 100 and 120 compressions per minute. 

You’re invited to join Mic Gunderson and moderator Tom Bouthillet for this archived webinar.

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Composite Measures: Use and Development

Composite measures are useful tools for summarizing groups of metrics as a single metric. This webinar shows how to build composite measures based on polarity, magnitude and weighting. The example used throughout this webinar was building a basic cardiac resuscitation performance index consisting of five process metrics – compression rate, depth, peri-shock pause, compression fraction and acquisition of a post-ROSC 12 lead ECG. This process can used to create composite measures by EMS organizations, hospitals and entire systems of care for time sensitive conditions.

You’re invited to join Mic Gunderson and moderator Tom Bouthillet for this archived webinar.

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Costly Consequences from the Misdiagnosis of Data Variations

When monitoring the performance of a clinical or non-clinical process, it is easy to misinterpret the variations that can occur. Misinterpreting the nature of the variation can have severe consequences. 

This webinar explores the differential diagnosis of normal and special cause data variation and how to react to each in ways that improve rather than diminish process performance.

You’re invited to join Mic Gunderson and moderators Tim Phalen and Tom Bouthillet for this archived webinar

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Data from multiple sources needs to be brought together, or aggregated, to generate the critical information needed to improve clinical, operational and financial outcomes across entire organization, regions, states and more. This webinar explores proper techniques and common pitfalls when aggregating data. 

You’re invited to join Mic Gunderson and moderator Tom Bouthillet for this archived webinar.

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