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Welcome and IHC Milestones
Transparency - Creating a clearer view of healthcare
The healthcare system in the United States is complex. It's fragmented. It's huge. And it's time for a change. While it's a massive undertaking to better connect the many levels of healthcare, we can improve it by creating a system that allows a clear view of practices, policies and outcomes.
A transparent system will lead to more knowledgable and empowered patients, providers using best practices and communities that are healthier. By sharing data and working together we'll all benefit from better care, a healthier community and lower costs.
In Iowa, the Iowa Healthcare Collaborative (IHC) is excited to be part of the change. The IHC is working to facilitate better understanding of healthcare methods, opportunities for improvement and implementation of best practices. Healthcare providers will gain access to nationally agreed on, evidence-based measures that improve the delivery of care. Insurers will gain information to facilitate performance improvement and employers will be able to better educate employees about wellness and prevention. By changing the system, we can move from treating acute conditions to keeping patients healthy.
Our Role
IHC is a provider-led nonprofit organization designed to promote rapid cycle clinical performance improvement, thereby improving the quality, patient safety and value of healthcare in Iowa. our initiatives focus provider-directed efforts to facilitate engagement, sharing of data, and the rapid deployment of best practice. We believe communication and collaboration is the key to improving healthcare in Iowa.
originated through a 2004 partnership between the Iowa Hospital Association (IHA) and the Iowa Medical Society (IMS), we use a "multi-stakeholder" approach to aggregate expertise through our Board of directors, Advisory Council and collaborative relationships among providers statewide.
We at IHC have a unique role in accelerating clinical improvement in Iowa by providing an objective focal point for public reporting of accurate and clinically relevant performance data. IHC puts healthcare providers (doctors, nurses and hospital executives) in the position of leadership, driving clinical improvement to accelerate the pace of progress. our unique structure has been called a model for other states to achieve engagement and improve public health.
How We Work
Through the activities of 10 technical committees and workgroups, IHC drives a robust series of initiatives related to:
- Data and Measurement for Public Reporting
- Education
- Lean in Healthcare
- Healthcare-Associated Infection
- Medication Safety
IHC sponsors several popular statewide conferences each year that expose attendees to new ideas and processes and drive a provider-led culture of change. Last year, our annual conference attracted nearly 400 Iowa providers who came together to hear from national healthcare leaders and promote transparency
by sharing best practices with their peers in a series of breakout sessions. IHC's Patient Safety Conference encouraged providers and consumers to collaborate on developing a culture of safety in healthcare and engaging patients as partners in care. Our Lean in Healthcare Conference provided an opportunity for hospitals using Lean to showcase the application of this performance improvement methodology to healthcare and sharing success stories.
Through our website, www.ihconline.org, we create and deploy educational modules or "toolkits" to introduce best practices and equip providers for change. Current toolkits include Healthcare-Associated Infections, Lean in Healthcare, Health Literacy, Medication Reconciliation, Anticoagulation and Culture of Safety.
On the following pages, we highlight a few of our many important initiatives in more detail and provide "snapshots" of success stories from Iowa hospitals. We also report on the most recent key data available-both state-aggregated and hospital-specific clinical performance information. I hope you'll find the information enlightening and energizing. We have accomplished much, and yet our work has just begun.
Tom Evans, MD
President and CEO, Iowa Healthcare Collaborative
IHC Milestones
2002
- Iowa Hospital Association (IHA) and Iowa Medical Society (IMS) begin exploring joint strategies to improve clinical care in Iowa
2003
- IHA and IMS convene Task Force on Quality and Public Reporting
- IHA and IMS co-found a collaborative steering committee to explore a statewide provider-led performance improvement initiative
- Steering committee designs the Iowa Healthcare Collaborative (IHC) and establishes cornerstone principles
2004
- First statewide Conference on Quality, Patient Safety and Value
- Statewide survey of Iowa hospitals pertaining to the new National Quality Forum (NQF) 30 Safe Practices
- IHA and IMS make commitments to fund IHC with goal of developing an independent, providerconvened foundation
2005
- Second annual Conference on Quality, Patient Safety and Value; attendance increases to 350
- Second statewide survey of the NQF 30 Safe Practices
- Convene the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) 100,000 Lives Campaign in Iowa
- Develop community report (Iowa Report) on quality, patient safety and value to present state-aggregated and hospital-specific clinical performance data
- IHC incorporates as a 501c(3)
- Hospitals voluntarily report progress on deployment of 100,000 Lives Campaign initiatives
- Tom Evans, MD, hired as president and CEO
2006
- IHC receives matching funds from the State of Iowa
- Third annual conference convened
- Introduce conference on patient safety during National Patient Safety Week
- Introduce Lean in Healthcare Conference; 250 in attendance
- Develop healthcareassociated infection (HAI) measure set
- 100 percent of Iowa hospitals participate in the 100,000 Lives Campaign
- Develop web-based toolkits to equip providers for improvement in Medication Reconciliation, Anticoagulation, Health Literacy, Lean in Healthcare and Healthcare-Associated Infection
- Release second Iowa Report
- Consult with AHRQ in preparation of a "how to" manual for convening community coalitions to improve healthcare
2007
- Second annual Patient Safety Conference
- Second annual Lean in Healthcare Conference
- Convene IHI 5 Million Lives Campaign in Iowa
- Introduce the Physician Forum, a conference to engage and equip physicians in performance improvement and innovation
- Begin Lean Learning Collaborative
- Initiate HAI voluntary reporting initiative on six standardized measures
- Develop web-based Culture of Safety toolkit
- Third statewide survey of Iowa hospitals regarding NQF 30 Safe Practices
- Recognized by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services with "Community Leader" status
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