Despite the fact that the Indian Health Service is underfunded, its federal, tribal, and urban health facilities have been making strides in quality improvement. It has achieved this in part by harnessing the clinical data available within its longstanding information system, and by reaching out to communities through partnerships with local tribes to promote health and prevent disease. Read more »
To build trust with patients and improve continuity of care, a tribally run ambulatory clinic in Southern California assigned patients with chronic conditions to one of several teams of providers. The clinic soon expanded the program to all patients, hoping the team-based approach would engage patients in their care. The no-show rate dropped precipitously. For the first team, the percentage of patients who failed to show up for scheduled appointments dropped by more than 75 percent in nine months. Read more »
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Selected articles on quality improvement from a number of journals, including the American Journal of Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, BMJ, Health Affairs, Health Services Research, International Journal for Quality in Health Care, Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Safety, Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of General Internal Medicine, Journal of Patient Safety, Journal of Safety and Quality in Health Care, Medical Care, The Milbank Quarterly, The New England Journal of Medicine, and Pediatrics. The articles are nominated by Editorial Advisory Board members from a preselected list. Read more »
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