QI Site Has Tools To Better Every Practice

One section of the AAFP Web site can help family physicians simplify their lives, redesign their practices and prepare for the future. The AAFP's Clinical Quality Improvement section is designed to offer up-to-date information on quality improvement issues that are reshaping the health care industry.

Whether seeking information on pay-for-performance, electronic health records, same-day scheduling or CME credit, the CQI section has many tools available for physicians who want to make the health care they provide safer as well as more timely, effective, efficient, equitable and patient-centered.

Physicians unfamiliar with quality improvement may want to start with the Quality Improvement Tools and Resources link. On this page, you'll be able to select a topic, implement a project, research options in both clinical information systems and decision support, stay updated on the latest news in performance measurement and pay-for-performance, and track down local QI activities.

The CQI section is also a good place to stay current in the world of performance measurement and pay-for-performance. Learn how the Academy has been involved in shaping the debate on performance measurement, read the AAFP's policy on pay-for-performance, review AAFP performance measurement criteria and find links to nationally accepted measures developed by the American Medical Association Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement, as well as the recommended "starter set" of measures vetted by the Ambulatory Care Quality Alliance.

In addition, the Academy has developed many CME programs with a QI focus. Physicians can learn about METRIC (Measuring, Evaluating and Translating Research Into Care), the Practice Enhancement Forum, Performance Measures Training Course, and the Practice Redesign and Performance Improvement Courses offered at this year's Annual Scientific Assembly.

Additional quality resources from the AAFP also bear mentioning.

If your practice is considering making the transition to a model of care based on a relationship-centered medical home model, the Academy's TransforMED initiative may be a good place to seek consultation and support.

The Center for Health Information Technology, or CHiT, is the AAFP's warehouse of technical information, advocacy resources, research findings and member services for medical office automation and computerization issues. Visit the CHiT site for the latest EHR reviews and product information.

Practices that are exploring moving to same-day scheduling will want to check out the online Access to Care guide, which walks physicians, step-by-step, through the process of preparing for and implementing same-day appointments, also known as open-access scheduling.

A Web-based survey on the section's value and user-friendliness and a "Contact Us" option also are available should users have further questions or wish to offer feedback.