CQN Asthma Pilot Project Practice Recruitment

The Ohio Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) would like to invite you to participate in the Chapter Quality Network (CQN) Asthma Pilot Project. Chapters will support participating practices in implementing the new NHLBI/NAEPP guidelines within practices. The Academy is applying to the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) for Maintenance of Certification (MOC) QI project approval so that participating practices can offer members part IV performance in practice credit for completion of the project.

In addition to educational resources, support for the program includes access to a Quality Improvement Consultant (QIC) from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. The QIC will help chapters to assist practices in making system-based changes that improve care for children with asthma within a medical home. The Academy's Education in Quality Improvement in Pediatric Practice (EQIPP) asthma module will be used as the data collection tool and the national office will provide monthly data reports to chapters and practices to provide feedback on practice performance.

The CQN Asthma Pilot Project is available through the generous support of the Merck Childhood Asthma Network, Inc. (MCAN), the American Board of Pediatrics, and the Academy's Friends of Children Fund.

Participating Practices

Beginning in the summer of 2009 and ending in the fall of 2010, 10-15 pediatric practices from the Ohio Chapter will participate in a Learning Collaborative designed to help practices implement the new NHLBI/NAEPP asthma guidelines and improve the outcomes of children with asthma.

Selected practice teams will participate in a series of four Learning Sessions, followed by action periods where they will have the opportunity to try out changes in their setting. During the action period, practices will measure their progress toward improvement goals. Expert faculty will coach practice teams to assist them in applying key change ideas into their own offices/clinics.

Participating practices will work with a multi-disciplinary "core team" of clinical and administrative staff from their office to improve care for children with asthma. The practice team will be responsible for:

  1. Full participation of the team for approximately 16 months, including attendance at each Learning Session conducted by the Ohio Chapter and participation in monthly conference calls and listserv discussions.
  2. The "core team" from the Pediatric Practice typically consists of several members, including:
    - Physician Leader
    - Nurse or Someone with Clinical Responsibility
    - Administrative Staff/Office Manager Member
    - Back-up Person
  3. Formal commitment by Senior Leader (in many sites, this is often the Senior/Lead Physician, Medical Director, Executive, or Center Director) of your site or organization to support you in this endeavor, provide necessary resources and the time to devote to testing and implementing changes in the site.
  4. One member of the core team should be designated as the site's Key Contact. A Key Contact is defined as the individual who is responsible for organizing day-to-day activities, including coordinating regular team meetings, managing improvement responsibilities, and ensuring that reports and/or data are collected and reported by their due date.
  5. Participation in ongoing data collection through the Academy's Asthma EQIPP module to ensure that the changes you are making are resulting in improvements.
  6. Submission of monthly data and progress reports.
  7. Willingness and commitment to implement rapid and widespread key practice changes including: engagement of the asthma core team, implementation of a registry, planned care, use of practice protocols, and provision of self-management support.
  8. Regular access to, and use of, email and the internet for ongoing support, information, and communication among teams.
  9. Hold a weekly or bi-weekly meeting with your core team to make plans and facilitate changes. 

Learning in a Collaborative

Experience with improvement work has demonstrated that physicians are more likely to make and sustain changes when they are supported by their practices and their colleagues. Practices participating in this project will be working with a team from their office and will be sharing what they have learned with the other participating practices in our chapter via conference calls and electronic communication.

Practices will participate in two face-to-face learning sessions and two webinar learning sessions throughout the course of the project. The first Learning Session is scheduled for Friday, October 9 and Saturday, October 10, 2009 in Columbus. The second face-to-face Learning Session will be held in April 2010, and the two webinar Learning Sessions will be held in January and August, 2010. Those dates will be determined once all practicing practices are confirmed.

Benefits of Participation

Participation in this project provides many benefits to involved teams:

If you are interested in joining or receiving more information about the Chapter Quality Network Asthma Pilot Project, please contact:

P. Cooper White, MD
Chapter Project Leader
Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron/Locust Pediatric Group
(330) 543-3529
cwhite@chmca.org

Heather Hall
Chapter Project Manager
Ohio AAP
(614) 846-6258
hhall@ohioaap.org

Kimberly Spoonhower, MD
Asthma Expert
Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron
(330) 543-8885
kspoonhower@chmca.org