Quarterly Clinical Leadership Meetings

Clinical leaders across the network convene quarterly via video conferencing to address center clinical priorities and to share leading practices from a clinical quality and operational viewpoint. Representatives are charged with promoting use of Health Information Technology (HIT) and optimization for their physicians and clinicians, providing clinical expertise on agreed upon focus areas and reporting back important initiatives to their center. Directives received from this group help tailor the focus of both our quality and optimization workgroups.

Quality Workgroup

The Quality Workgroup is a collaboration of health center representatives who bring forth expertise in designated focus areas. The workgroup meets on a monthly basis and rotates their key areas of focus throughout the year. They evaluate reports, practices, and processes to facilitate the improvement of patient outcomes and quality measures through:

• Identifying proven treatment protocols and recommending standardization

• Identifying and demonstrating opportunities for workflow and clinical documentation efficiencies to assist in reporting various quality measures and initiatives
• Participating in the testing of clinical best practices
• Advising on process improvement activities to improve clinical outcomes
• Identifying, demonstrating, and sharing best practices in clinical treatment, workflow and documentation to help improve quality measures

Optimization Workgroup

The Optimization Workgroup is comprised of select center super users, clinicians, and EHR specialists identified as having enhanced knowledge of the system. The role of the optimization workgroup is to provide input and oversight into clinical content development processes, guide system optimization targets, promote content training, champion buy-in and support enhancements and clinical content rollouts. The workgroup will serve as the structure that continually evaluates documentation methods and processes to accurately capture the quality of care rendered by:

• Identifying opportunities for improving documentation efficiencies
• Providing input and oversight into the development of clinical documentation standards
• Developing innovative workflow processes to maximize the use of health information technology

Clinical Leaders Workshop

HCN has designed a bi-annual workshop tailored to both new and seasoned community health center clinical leaders that addresses the core knowledge and skills needed to excel in the ever-changing community health environment. The primary focus of these workshops is on clinical operations and continuous quality improvement involving a mix of facilitator-led collaborative discussions, guided learning, analytical exercises, and onsite exposure to a local health center.

System Optimization

HCN has deployed a team dedicated to ensuring our EHR system continues to be primed for optimal use for our members. The system optimization team provides an enhanced focus on testing & validation of system processes and continually assesses our centers’ current utilization and the impact on EHR performance. Our member centers’ current system health check includes:

• System testing and validation
• Continual identification and escalation of system and reporting issues
• Workflow evaluation & best practices
• Form development and maintenance
• Health guidelines revitalization based on national / endorsed guidelines
• Flowsheet utilization
• Appointment scheduling assessment
• Immunization schedule monitoring

Quality Outcomes

HCN is committed to helping our centers reach their continuous quality improvement goals by bringing forth innovative solutions, optimizing technology, developing leading practices and facilitating collaboration amongst our health centers. HCN Members have direct access to the following resources:

• QTECH Quality Committee: Monthly forum comprised of clinical and quality team members focused on education, training, and promising practices on patient engagement, reducing provider burden, tackling quality initiatives (UDS, PCMH & MU), and impacting clinical quality areas (Diabetes, Hypertension and Opioid Use).
• Quality Initiative Reporting & Monitoring: Our centers’ UDS and Promoting Interoperability compliance is continually monitored and assessed at both a center-level and network-wide level. Data is gathered to identify areas of immediate focus and to guide development of network tactics to help drive improvement.
• Quality Touchpoints: Center focused touchpoints are tailored to provide more in-depth discussion with our centers around how to meet their strategic quality goals. These sessions involve detailed analysis and review of current center compliance and actionable tactics around how to make strides for improvement.
• UDS Validation Workgroup: Center representatives are actively engaged in year-round reporting validation and are taught how to use alternate reports to identify missed opportunities. This workgroup meets bi-monthly and is focused on incorporating proven strategies at the center level to maximizing UDS compliance.
• Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH): HCN's PCMH Certified Content Experts provide hands on technical expertise, training in medical home best practices and ongoing education to ensure that your team is knowledgeable on the most current PCMH standards.