The UW-DFM is deeply committed to quality and systems improvement as a means to providing the best possible clinical care. The department demonstrated this commitment as early as 1996, when it hired a full-time quality improvement (QI) director to support improved patient care and educational services within family medicine.

Ongoing QI efforts include an active dashboard, which is reviewed quarterly by the UW-DFM's Clinical Care Committee. In addition, the department provides clinics and individual faculty with reports, improvement recommendations, and support based on evidence-based standards of care and known effective strategies for change. Reports are based on internal clinical and practice data and outside surveys, such as the American Medical Group Association and Press Ganey patient satisfaction surveys.

2007 Priority Areas

Patient Satisfaction

Our departmental mission emphasizes the importance of patient satisfaction and loyalty. Last year, six family medicine clinics-Augusta, Cross Plains, Palmyra, Crossroads, Belleville, and Eau Claire-earned UW Health's Star Clinic Award. This award is given to clinics who are at or above the 90th percentile of teaching clinics/hospitals across the country, as measured by the Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction survey.

Diabetes

The UW-DFM is working with all of UW Health to improve care for patients with diabetes. Eleven family medicine clinics-Augusta, Belleville, Columbus, DeForest, Fitchburg, Fort Atkinson, Odana Atrium, Oregon, Palmyra, Verona and Waunakee-met one or more of the DFM Dashboard high performance targets for 2007 second -quarter. Targeted metrics include hemoglobin A1c measurement/control and LDL measurement/control.

Pilot programs to implement the Chronic Care Model are also ongoing at several clinics. The Chronic Care Model emphasizes clinic systems that deliver population-based, proactive, and planned chronic care.

Immunizations

Up to Date by Age 2 is a system-wide immunization initiative launched in 2003. The program's goal is to ensure that at least 85% of children served by UW Health receive all required immunizations by the age of 2.

Ten family medicine clinics-Belleville, Columbus, DeForest, Eau Claire, Monona, Northeast, Oregon, Verona, Wausau and Wingra-met this goal for the first six months of 2007.

James E. Davis Award for Quality Improvement

Each year, the UW-DFM recognizes an outstanding clinical, educational, or administrative QI project with the James E. Davis Award for Quality Improvement. Awards are made in two categories: resident-led projects and other department group projects.

Applicants must submit an abstract, project overview, and other supporting materials describing the QI model or process used, the data collected, the improvements made, and the results of those improvements.

Applications are scored by an internal and external review process. Winners are honored with a plaque and a $500 cash award at the Fall UW-DFM statewide meeting.

2007 Davis Award Winners

Resident Led Project: Aurora UW Family Practice Center, Improving Breast Cancer Screening Rates. This project, led by Lincoln Likness, DO, PG3, is aimed at increasing the frequency of annual screening mammograms for women, age 40 and older. Intervention strategies included: EMR safeguards, enhanced clinic communication, improved patient education and appointment scheduling and clinical guideline updates.

Deparmental Project: UW Health Monona, Creating a Telephone Triage Protocol for Vaginitis Complaints in Adult Non-Pregnant Patients. Led by Ann Evenson, MD, this project focused on development of a EMR triage template for vaginitis symptoms. The change in workflow was designed to empower nursing staff, improve patient care and decrease physician work load.

Ambulatory Innovation Grants

The Ambulatory Care Innovation Grant program provides funding for innovative ideas to improve UW Health ambulatory care operations. Open to all UW Health associated staff, the program promotes: Stakeholder Loyalty, Bridging the "Quality Chasm" and Building the Academic Health System of the Future. Department of Family Medicine grant recipients include:

More Info: Ambulatory Care Innovation Grant (ACIG) Application

Testing Patient Satisfaction With Use of Restaurant Style Pagers in A Family Medicine Clinic - Leah Algier, MD - January 2006

Providing Educational Resources to Empower Physicians to Use Non-pharmaceutical Therapies for Common Disease - David Rakel, MD - July 2006

Innovative Documentation Using Dragon Naturally Speaking 9® Medical Software - Dennis Breen, MD - February 2007

Patient Panel Size in Family Medicine - Sandra Kamnetz, MD - February 2007

Cost Effectiveness Analysis of Implementing a Chronic Care Manager Position for Multidisciplinary Chronic Disease management in the Outpatient Clinic Setting - Brian Arndt, MD - February 2007

Accelerated Access to Basic Diabetes Education for Patients in their Medical Home - Marilyn Chohaney, MD and Patrice Udelhofen, FNP - August 2007