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Leading Healthcare Improvement Course

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Overview

LEVEL: ADVANCED

This advanced-level QI training course is the second of two courses required for the Certificate of Added Qualification in Healthcare Improvement (CAQHI) Program. It includes a series of interactive workshop sessions through which learners will work on actual approved QI projects that they have selected and brought with them to the course.

Throughout the course, learners will continue developing and moving their projects closer to implementation by applying to the projects the concepts and methodologies learned.

Each course session is designed to build upon the content, activities, and assignments from its previous sessions, and a series of required (brief) course assessments are administered before the start of the course, immediately after the final session of the course, and about three months thereafter, for learners to provide updates regarding the progress of their projects, as related to the training received from the course.

Course Offerings


Eligibility


INTERESTED IN TAKING THIS COURSE?

Learners interested in the Leading Healthcare Improvement course should apply for the Certificate of Added Qualification in Healthcare Improvement (CAQHI) Program. Applicants accepted to the CAQHI Program are automatically enrolled in this course, which serves as the second of two courses required for the program.

When applications for the CAQHI Program are open, a Call for Applications is announced on the CAQHI Program overview page. If you would like to be notified directly via email, select the subscribe button on the I-QIPS Home Page to receive I-QIPS news and announcements.


When applying for the CAQHI Program, applicants should ensure they meet all of the following criteria, as required for the Leading Healthcare Improvement course:

  • Course Prerequisite: If selected, the applicant must have successfully completed the QI Jump Start course (intermediate-level QI training) offered through the I-QIPS prior to the start of the Leading Healthcare Improvement course.

    As noted, the prerequisite must be completed prior to the start of the Leading Healthcare Improvement course. It does not need to be completed before submitting a CAQHI Program application. Applicants have an opportunity to indicate on the application form whether they are in the process of completing the prerequisite course.
  • Affiliation: The applicant must be current faculty, fellows/advanced trainees, or staff at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) or a BCM-affiliated institution (unless other arrangements have been made with the I-QIPS Leadership Team).

  • QI Project: The applicant must describe on their application a concrete, leadership-approved improvement project that can be developed and implemented throughout the term of the course. Enrolled learners will work on their respective projects during the course, developing the project further with each course session by applying the concepts and knowledge gained from the sessions.

    The project can be an initiative that the applicant is pursuing currently (such as the project that they developed and progressed during the QI Jump Start course indicated above) or will begin concurrently with the start of the course. Further, the project should be in an area in which the applicant has substantial control and that they likely can complete by the end of the course (or within 6 months or so following the conclusion of the course).

    If you do not have a suitable improvement project at this time, you are encouraged to apply for a future offering, when you have an appropriate project confirmed and approved.

  • Letter of Support: The applicant must upload to their application a Letter of Support from a clinical champion in the clinical area that they are seeking to improve through their selected QI project (i.e., the area in which their project will be implemented). The letter should confirm that the applicant has the full support of their supervisor/leadership/clinical champion to participate in the course, should their application be selected.

    Further, the letter should confirm, at minimum, that the support they have includes the following: resources necessary for the success of the approved QI Project, applicant's full participation in the course in its entirety, and applicant's time needed to be successful in the course (including time required to attend ALL course sessions, complete all assignments, further their improvement project throughout the term of the course, etc.).

Needs Assessment and Target Audience

The overall educational goal of this advanced-level leadership training course is to develop leaders of interprofessional improvement teams within their clinical settings. The course emphasizes leading healthcare improvements and innovations with an implementation strategy that combines quality improvement or change management techniques.

The course sessions are designed for individuals with intermediate to advanced knowledge of the concepts of quality improvement and patient safety, and who have or will have responsibilities for leading quality improvement initiatives or have other relevant senior QI administrative roles.

The course is open to BCM and affiliated faculty, fellows/advanced trainees, and staff at no cost (although, space is limited). Learners are automatically enrolled to the course when accepted to the CAQHI Program.

Unless otherwise indicated, non-BCM employees are also invited to participate in the course through acceptance to the CAQHI Program; application required and registration fee applies (collected upon acceptance to the program). Details provided on the CAQHI Program overview page.

Note: The above items are subject to change without notice.

Objectives

By the end of the course, learners should be able to:

  1. Communicate the urgency of their project to stakeholders
  2. Form and lead effective, interprofessional teams
  3. Create and communicate a vision for their healthcare improvement project
  4. Develop strategies to remove barriers for project implementation and success
  5. Communicate the impact of their projects to leadership

Content

This advanced-level course will contain the following content:

  • Framing a problem and creating a transformational goal based on a sense of urgency created around a change
  • Becoming an effective leader of an interprofessional team
  • Creating a clear vision and communicating the value of change to the organization
  • Understanding the importance of effectively communicating the vision and identifying internal and external stakeholders essential to a change project
  • Being able to influence change and manage relationships independent of one’s position within the organization
  • Capitalizing on Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Improvement Cycles to generate short-term wins for one's change project
  • Understanding what it means to build on a change and identify future directions of one's improvement project
  • Working effectively through an organization’s culture to facilitate the adoption of a change or intervention

Delivery

The course will involve the format described below. Attendance at all sessions is required.

  • A series of workshop sessions (6 sessions; 1.5 hours per session).
  • The sessions are scheduled about 3 weeks apart and involve homework assignments to be completed between sessions (which may include a brief, pre-course assignment to be completed before arriving to the first session). 

Criteria for Course Completion

Attendance and Assignments

To remain enrolled in the course, a learner must:

  • Attend and actively participate in all of the scheduled workshop sessions (6 sessions; 1.5 hours per session). The course content and activities for each session build upon those concepts and assignments discussed during previous sessions.
  • Complete and submit (on time) all session assignments, including a pre-course assignment (to be submitted before Session 1), if applicable. Learners should be prepared to discuss their completed assignments during each session.
  • Register their improvement project in the I-QIPS QI Project Registry before the start of the course (if it is not already registered), as well as enter regular project updates after each session.
  • Submit their finalized QI Project Template, Poster, and Poster Abstract (featuring their improvement project). Learners will develop these items, as part of the overall coursework, updating and refining each item, based on content, discussions, and feedback received during each session.
  • Present their QI Poster (reflecting the in-progress work of their improvement project) during the final course session. More information is provided during the term of the course.

After completing the course, each learner is strongly encouraged to submit an abstract to an academic conference to present their improvement project, and to notify the I-QIPS of their accepted presentation.

Course Assessments

All of the following assessments are required for the course and must be completed by each learner:

  • Pre-Course Assessment
  • Post-Course Assessment
  • Outcomes Assessment*

*Note: The Outcomes Assessment is administered about 3 - 4 months after the conclusion of the final session. Learners are notified by email when the assessment is available for their completion; however, it is the learner's responsibility to notify the I-QIPS if they have not received information about the assessment, as well as to provide any changes to their email address post-course. This assessment serves as the final requirement for the course.

Completion Certificate

At the discretion of the I-QIPS Leadership Team, a Certificate of Added Qualification in Healthcare Improvement is awarded (and issued at the conclusion of the CAQHI Program) to an eligible learner to confirm their satisfactory completion of all CAQHI Program requirements, which includes successfully meeting all stated completion criteria for both required courses*, as well as successfully meeting all Capstone submission requirements. A separate completion certificate per course is not available to CAQHI Program participants.

Final certificate decisions are made only after all described course requirements have been completed across all enrolled learners for both courses (e.g., I-QIPS' receipt of all required assignments and course assessments), including the final Outcomes Assessment for each course.

*Note: Ultimately, a learner's eligibility to receive a Certificate of Added Qualification in Healthcare Improvement is impacted by their attendance records, level of participation in discussions per course session, and on-time submissions of all required assignments and assessments throughout the course, as described in the Criteria for Completion section for each course.

Accreditation and Credit Designation

AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

Baylor College of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Baylor College of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 9.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™; each session for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Credit

American Board of Anesthesiology
This activity contributes to the patient safety CME requirement for the CME component of the American Board of Anesthesiology’s (ABA) redesigned Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology™ (MOCA®) program, known as MOCA 2.0®. Please consult the ABA website, http://www.theABA.org, for a list of all MOCA 2.0 requirements.

American Board of Internal Medicine
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 9.0 MOC points and patient safety MOC credit in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

American Board of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to meet the expectations of the American Board of Otolaryngology’s Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of recognizing participation.

American Board of Pathology
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 9.0 Lifelong Learning (Part 2) MOC points in the American Board of Pathology Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

American Board of Pediatrics
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the activity and individual assessment of and feedback to the learner, enables the learner to earn up to 9.0 MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABP MOC credit.

American Board of Surgery
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME and Self-Assessment requirements of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit.

Evaluation

Evaluation by questionnaire will address program content, presentation, and possible bias.