Highly Functioning, Cross-disciplinary Quality Improvement Team

A highly functioning, cross-disciplinary QI team:

• Practices habits of highly functioning teams (makes the commitment, gains and demonstrates leadership, uses ground rules for communication, secures facilitation skills and support, sets an agenda as a team, keeps minutes, assigns and completes homework, and follows through with plans).
• Includes, at a minimum, physician leadership with senior leader support, patient and family representation, and 1 or 2 key members of the primary care practice (such as a practice manager and a nurse who can develop the practice capacity for care coordination). Invite ad hoc members or others expressing interest.
• Articulates a clear vision for medical home improvement, and experiments with tests of change, performing multiple PDSA cycles.
• Measures the results and progress of the tests of change, and reports results to colleagues; over time, reporting to external entities such as insurers may be valuable to document your improved care. Continuously evaluates and improves the management and facilitation of practice care processes related to the medical home.
• Meets regularly for reflection, problem solving, and planning for practice innovations (eg, 60 to 90 minutes twice per month).
• Engages and shares ideas with all staff members for their input and participation and, when ready, practice-wide implementation.
• Continually reports progress to the entire practice, creating a culture of teamwork and improvement.
• In larger practices, encourages and supports formation of multiple improvement teams targeting specific improvement goals.