TCPI Goals: Improve Quality, Reduce Costs and Focus on Patient-Centered Care
Dear TCPi Community,
The emphasis that our model places on the importance of Person and Family Engagement (PFE) as a core value in everyday practice is driven by a commitment to excellence in customer service and a systematic way of redesigning our health care system with the patient and not prescriptively for the patient. PFE is one way to express that commitment, but there are many more. In the spirit of leading by example, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) always is receptive to ideas for improving our own customer service for you, our hard-working and dedicated enrolled providers. This month, I’d like to bring a few recent examples to your attention. Download full letter here.
Welcome!
Cedaredge Chiropractic, Western Colorado, Joins the VCSQI SAN 2.0. See the map.
News Reports of Interest
Most Physicians, Nurses Say Empowered Patients Are Helpful
Most of the more than 1000 physicians and nurses who responded to a recent Medscape poll said they see patient empowerment as helpful in their practice.
However, according to the poll, those numbers were very different between the two clinician groups. Slightly more than half of physicians (54{407ac5a1c3664d12063f649ef13ac264ddc5691f1aad397cd50a48bf859e3803}) said patient empowerment was helpful, while 82{407ac5a1c3664d12063f649ef13ac264ddc5691f1aad397cd50a48bf859e3803} of nurses answered that way. Read more
Reducing Opioid Misuse and Abuse: Three imperatives for provider organizations
Opioid misuse and abuse is one of the most pressing public health issues in the U.S., and hospitals and health systems are on the front lines. Currently, most health systems focus their opioid management efforts on select medical specialties, and providers typically intervene only after the patient has shown signs of misuse and addiction. Given the accelerating epidemic it’s clear that this is not enough.
This Advisory Council research report outlines three imperatives to guide hospitals and health systems in their efforts to reduce the impact of inappropriate opioid prescribing and misuse. Read more
Focus on Patient & Family Engagement
PFE Learning Sessions: Save the Date
In case you missed it: “How to Establish a Patient & Family Advisory Council”: Learning Session Recording (held on August 11, 2017 Webinar)
National expert Chrissie Blackburn, Principal Advisor, Patient and Family Engagement, University Hospitals Health System, Cleveland, Ohio, provides guidance on how to form a Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC).
Click below to view recorded webinar, slides and PFAC toolkit.
University Hospitals_PFAC tookit_FINAL_3-17-16 (1)
COMING UP: “PFE – The Better Way to Be”: An Ask & Learn Coaching Webinar August 24, 2017, 4 pm EDT
Person and Family Engagement Expert, IPFCC’s Mary Minniti, will provide a brief overview about how to incorporate health literacy into your practice, and then open the floor to respond to your challenges, questions, and inspiring successes. To register, click here.
A REMINDER:
Quality Payment Program Participation: TCPI Clinician Transformation Events August 22 & 23, 6:30 – 7:30 pm & 8 – 9 pm EDT
Please be sure to send these dates to your clinicians now so they too will mark their calendars and attend!
These events are designed specifically for clinicians who are committed to transforming their practice with TCPI. They are scheduled for evening hours and offered more than once to allow for as many clinicians to participate without interrupting their workday.
CMS wants to hear reactions from the TCPI Clinician community as to how they feel about practice transformation and where they are in their transformation progress and moving into QPP. The topics for these calls are driven by the TCPI AIMs – clinical and operational improvement for patients and clinical practices. The calls will be focused on:
- QPP and the resources available to clinicians to master QPP (TCPI!)
- The most important changes a practice must make to thrive in the future and practice readiness to participate in TCPI (The TCPI drivers)
- Addressing the U.S. opioid crisis and the significance of medication management. How will your practice be engaged?
TCPI Clinician Event 1:
Click on the dates below to register
August Primary Care Clinician Events
August Specialty Care Clinician Events
COMING UP: VCSQI-Sponsored Learning Session Webinars
September 12, 4 pm EDT – Understanding MACRA, MIPs, and APMs
Dr. Jeffrey Rich will breakdown the details behind these acronyms to help your staff better understand the new merit-based payment regulations for all Medicare providers.
September 26, 4 – 5 pm EDT – “Basic Quality Improvement Principals”
A webinar on Basic Quality Improvement Principals for all practices’ clinicians and office staff. Guest speaker will be Brenda Kennedy, from the TCPI national faculty group. This will help practices meet Practice Assessment Tool criterion #15 – that asks if staff has been trained and empowered to participate in Quality Improvement Projects. A calendar invitation with the webinar sign-in link will be sent to all primary contacts; it may be forwarded to other staff in your practice.
Subscribe to Join the Quality Payment Program & TCPI Healthcare Communities for Updates and More Resources
Subscribe to access resources shared, webinars, data and best practices to help you and your practice transition to the new QPP.
Click here to learn more and register to join QPP to receive the latest news and updates.
Click here to learn more and register to join TCPI Healthcare Communities
Reducing Opioid Misuse is a CMS Priority!
Trends in Opioid-Related Hospitalizations
Click on your state for statistics about opioid-related hospital care, including hospitalization trends between 2009-14 and hospitalizations in 2014 broken down by patient age, sex, geographic area, and income. For additional data, access AHRQ statistical briefs as well as Fast Stats, an online tool that provides national and state-specific data on hospital stays and emergency department visits, as well as patient characteristics.
Check Your Opioid Prescribing Guidelines: Start Low and Go Slow
The national opioid crisis has prompted CMS to ask all TCPI contractors to work with their enrolled prescribers to improve opioid prescribing practices. While this action won’t solve all of the issues creating the crisis, it will help to reduce addiction while still treating pain appropriately.
CMS strongly encourages all clinicians and practices to review national opioid prescribing guidelines and your opioid prescribing practices to assess how you can make a difference to help address and impact this major national problem.
New Mobile App provides opioid prescribing guidelines. Click here to view and download.
Question for Your Practice?
Would you like to have pocket-sized printed copies of the CDC prescribing guidelines to hand out to your clinician care team members? If so, how many copies would you like to receive?
Let us know with a reply to http://vcsqi.org@gmail.com
VCSQI Resources: Cardiac Surgery Evidence-Based Protocols
VCSQI Atrial Fibrillation Prophylaxis Protocol
The purpose of this quality improvement initiative is to lower the incidence of complications among patients undergoing a CABG or valve repair/replacement surgery in VCSQI member heart centers. We hope to demonstrate that by lowering the incidence of post-operative atrial fibrillation, hospital costs and resources used will be contained while clinical processes are improved. We hope to improve clinical quality through sharing information and collaborating in the analysis of outcomes data. Read More…
What Do You Want to Hear More About?
Let us know what you want to learn more about and if you have questions for your colleagues enrolled in the VCSQI SAN 2.0! Contact us at vcsqi.org@gmail.com or (913) 909-3140.
Quote of the Week:
“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. ” ~ Henry Ford
About VCSQI SAN 2.0: Primary Goal
The goal of the VCSQI SAN 2.0 is to assist enrolled practices to progress through the 5 phases of the Quality Payment Program (QPP) practice transformation process. Starting with a review of your baseline practice assessment, we will guide you and your practice leaders through practice improvement activities and changes https://irishpaving.ie/. Our goal is to successfully keep your practice moving from one phase to the next to optimize your CMS reimbursements in the QPP, and improve quality, reduce costs and focus on patient-centered care.
Newly Added Goal: Addressing the Opioid Misuse Epidemic
Addressing the Opioid Misuse Epidemic is another new goal CMS has asked all TCPI contractors to focus on blairsupplyusa.com. All clinicians and practices should review national opioid prescribing guidelines to consider revising your own prescribing practices that can make a difference to help impact this major national crisis.
Enrolled Practices:
- Cedaredge Chiropractic, Western Colorado
- Graduate Vascular and Endovascular Surgeons, Philadelphia, Pa.
- Havasu Cardiac Surgery, Havasu, Az.
- Houston Methodist Cardiovascular Surgery Associates, Houston, Tx.
- Mid-Atlantic Cardiothoracic Surgeons, Norfolk, Va.
- Nebraska Heart Institute, Lincoln, Nebraska
- Orlando Cardiovascular Surgeons, Orlando, Fla.
- Sentara Heart Hospital, Norfolk, Va.
VCSQI SAN 2.0 Enrollees’ Progress
- 7/8 — have completed baseline practice assessment
- 2/8 – now in Phase 2
- 7/8 – reviewing assessment and creating plans
Resources for Enrolled Practices:
- VCSQI Overview on MACRA, MIPS, and APMs:
http://vcsqi.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/VCSQI-SAN-2.0.pptx
- Registration on HealthcareCommunities.org: http://www.healthcarecommunities.org/Help/FAQs/Registration/HowtoRegisterontheHCPortal.aspx
- TCPI Resources:
- Change Package: http://www.healthcarecommunities.org/Communities/MyCommunities/TCPI/TCPI/ChangePackage.aspx
- Change Driver Diagram: http://vcsqi.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/TCPI_DriverDiagram_Color_March16_vpdf
- Practice Assessment Tool: http://vcsqi.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/NCC-PAT-2.2_Specialist_xlsx
- Alternative Payment Model Design Toolkit: http://vcsqi.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/QPP_How_to_Design_an_APM.pdf
- Access to exclusive patient educational resources, clinician protocol library, and clinical/financial reporting portal on VCSQI.org – coming soon
Please contact us at vcsqi.org@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or requests for additional information.
Together We Can Make a Difference
VCSQI SAN 2.0 August 2017 – All Rights Reserved
