Get started on your project

Project leader expectations:

1. Ensure physician adherence to the participation criteria (see below)
2. Monitor meeting attendance and participation, with notes which may be audited
3. Lead design of intervention(s)
4. Oversee data collection and analysis
5. Evaluate impact of intervention(s) to achieve aims
6.  Assess QI knowledge of participants and teach QI methods when indicated
7. Review and approve physician attestation forms for all group participants
8. Although not required, we strongly encourage formal QI training (see Where to Get Training in Quality Improvement)
9. Early consultation with the QIIRC to determine appropriateness of the proposed project is strongly recommended

The project must:

1. Use standard QI methods.
2. Actively engage physicians in problems they can influence in their practice.
3. Impact one or more Institute of Medicine quality dimensions: safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness, timeliness, efficiency and/or equity.
4. Have a specific, measurable, relevant and time-appropriate (SMART) aim.
5. Include appropriate intervention(s), linked to project aims, to be tested for improvement. Interventions must include a process change in addition to any educational interventions.
6. Collect and monitor data to assess the impact of the intervention.
7. Data should:
   1. Preferably include relevant outcome, process and balancing measures to effectively assess impact of interventions and potential unintended consequences, but one measure will be accepted.
   2. Be of sufficient size and quality to support effective assessment of the impact of the intervention.
   3. Ongoing in collection and reporting
   4. Be processed with regular feedback reports to allow for rapid improvement cycles
8. Be of sufficient duration (generally 6 months) to allow for physician participation in at least one full “PDSA cycle” of assessment, intervention and re-measurement.
9. Use appropriate charting or reporting tools to document performance over time (e.g., annotated run charts, control charts, etc). Visual representation of at least 3 data points (eg baseline, post intervention 1, post intervention 2) are required.
10. Comply with HIPAA and other regulatory/corporate integrity standards
11. Must be completed within 12 months and submitted by October 31 in order to receive credit for the year.

Details needed for project approval include:

1. Name of Project
2. Beginning and end dates
3. Project leader name, email, phone number
4. Names of other physicians on project
5. SMART aim
   QI tools used (process maps, root cause analysis, pareto charts, key driver diagram, etc.)
6. Methods
7. Metrics
8. Results
9. Summary of project 
10. URL if applicable

Submit your project:

If you are ready to submit you project for approval, please complete the linked REDCap form. Formal QI training and/or early consultation with the QIIRC to determine appropriateness of the proposed project is strongly recommended! (Children's of Alabama QI coaches)

Next steps:

Once you submit your project, it will undergo preliminary review. If the project meets minimum criteria, we will review and provide any feedback via email. If needs adjustments, the project leader will be invited to a coaching session with a member or members of the QIIRC, and asked to resubmit with adjustments as needed.