PSQI Committee: Year in Review
The Patient Safety Quality Improvement Committee (PSQI) continues to research topics, conduct studies, write articles, and develop Annual Meeting programming to assist our members in the areas of clinical quality improvement and patient safety. This past year, PSQI led several prominent projects that have elevated our visibility despite the small size of our specialty. We received positive feedback on our quality focus and the work we have done throughout the years from officials at Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) who congratulated us at an in-person meeting for the numerous ongoing quality improvement initiatives in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery. There is ongoing work being conducted by the PSQI on behalf of the specialty including efforts to populate a patient safety web-based tool; effective representation of the specialty at national quality organizations; and survey and database studies to identify issues and build tools that can be utilized by members to mitigate risk. During the past year, PSQI focused primarily on the following projects. 1. AAO-HNSF 2013 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPOSM a. Miniseminar on Big Patients, Big Worries (Margaret L. Skinner, MD, and Daniel L. Wohl, MD) b. Miniseminar on In Office Safety: Avoiding Unsafe Office Practices (Berrylin J. Ferguson, MD, Jonathan C. Kopelovich, MD, and Patrick T. Hennessey, MD) 2. Five journal articles published a. Zhu H, Das P, Roberson DW, Skinner ML, Felton M, Yuan J, Berry J. Hospitalizations in Children with Pre-existing Tracheostomy: A National Perspective. Submitted to Laryngoscope 2013. b. Goldman JL, Baugh RF, Davies L, Skinner ML, Stachler RJ, Brereton J, Eisenberg LD, Roberson DW, Brenner MJ. Mortality and major morbidity after tonsillectomy: etiologic factors and strategies for prevention. Laryngoscope. 2013 Oct;123(10):2544-53. Epub 2013 Apr 17. c. Racoosin JA, Roberson DW, Pacanowski MA, Nielsen DR. New evidence about an old drug—risk with codeine after adenotonsillectomy. N Engl J Med. 2013 Jun 6;368(23):2155-7. Epub 2013 Apr 24. d. Robertson PJ, Brereton JM, Roberson DW, Shah RK, Nielsen DR. Choosing wisely: our list. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2013 Apr; 148(4):534-6. Epub 2013 Feb 28. 3. Adverse Event Reporting Tool was developed using multi-stakeholder input and allows members to confidentially report on near misses, adverse events, and medical errors in real-time. The purpose of the portal is to collect information on patterns and trends of patient safety events in otolaryngology and help inform the PSQI Committee’s work in this area. Once there is a larger sample of data, the committee will use these data to develop patient safety improvement interventions. 4. National Quality Organization representation a. National Quality Forum (NQF) b. Reviewed the proposed modifications to the NQF Measure Evaluation Guidance for Evidence and Measure Testing. c. Reviewed and voted on performance measures, rosters, and other applicable reports 5. Surgical Quality Alliance (SQA) a. Reviewed and provided feedback on performance measures, including the Patient-centered Surgical Risk Assessment and Communication Measure. Reviewed and provided comments on SQA’s consensus document on the public reporting of physician data 6. AMA-convened Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement® (PCPI) a. Reviewed and voted on performance measures, including but not limited to asthma, anesthesia/critical care, adult diabetes, preventive care, and hepatitis C measure sets 7. AQA (formerly known as the Ambulatory Care Quality Alliance) a. Staff and physician representative presented AAO-HNS quality initiatives to the AQA Measures and Improvement Workgroup History of the CHEER Clinical Research Coordinator Conference CHEER Practice-based Research Network is an NIDCD-funded network comprising 30 sites in 17 states, and includes more than 200 otolaryngologists, 100 audiologists, and 50 SLPs, along with other research professionals. The focus of CHEER is to educate sites on practice-based research and maintain regulatory and research process infrastructure so sites are “at-the-ready” to participate in appropriate research studies. The CHEER Annual Coordinators Conference is one of CHEER’s flagship resources. Taking place at the Academy offices, the conference brings together study coordinators from the network, along with interested PIs and research professionals. The seventh annual conference will occur August 7-9. This article highlights experiences from the sixth annual conference. If you have questions about CHEER or the conference, please email Kristine Schulz at Kristine.schulz@duke.edu.
The Patient Safety Quality Improvement Committee (PSQI) continues to research topics, conduct studies, write articles, and develop Annual Meeting programming to assist our members in the areas of clinical quality improvement and patient safety. This past year, PSQI led several prominent projects that have elevated our visibility despite the small size of our specialty. We received positive feedback on our quality focus and the work we have done throughout the years from officials at Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) who congratulated us at an in-person meeting for the numerous ongoing quality improvement initiatives in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery.
There is ongoing work being conducted by the PSQI on behalf of the specialty including efforts to populate a patient safety web-based tool; effective representation of the specialty at national quality organizations; and survey and database studies to identify issues and build tools that can be utilized by members to mitigate risk.
During the past year, PSQI focused primarily on the following projects.
1. AAO-HNSF 2013 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPOSM
a. Miniseminar on Big Patients, Big Worries (Margaret L. Skinner, MD, and Daniel L. Wohl, MD)
b. Miniseminar on In Office Safety: Avoiding Unsafe Office Practices (Berrylin J. Ferguson, MD, Jonathan C. Kopelovich, MD, and Patrick T. Hennessey, MD)
2. Five journal articles published
a. Zhu H, Das P, Roberson DW, Skinner ML, Felton M, Yuan J, Berry J. Hospitalizations in Children with Pre-existing Tracheostomy: A National Perspective. Submitted to Laryngoscope 2013.
b. Goldman JL, Baugh RF, Davies L, Skinner ML, Stachler RJ, Brereton J, Eisenberg LD, Roberson DW, Brenner MJ. Mortality and major morbidity after tonsillectomy: etiologic factors and strategies for prevention. Laryngoscope. 2013 Oct;123(10):2544-53. Epub 2013 Apr 17.
c. Racoosin JA, Roberson DW, Pacanowski MA, Nielsen DR. New evidence about an old drug—risk with codeine after adenotonsillectomy. N Engl J Med. 2013 Jun 6;368(23):2155-7. Epub 2013 Apr 24.
d. Robertson PJ, Brereton JM, Roberson DW, Shah RK, Nielsen DR. Choosing wisely: our list. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2013 Apr; 148(4):534-6. Epub 2013 Feb 28.
3. Adverse Event Reporting Tool was developed using multi-stakeholder input and allows members to confidentially report on near misses, adverse events, and medical errors in real-time. The purpose of the portal is to collect information on patterns and trends of patient safety events in otolaryngology and help inform the PSQI Committee’s work in this area. Once there is a larger sample of data, the committee will use these data to develop patient safety improvement interventions.
4. National Quality Organization representation
a. National Quality Forum (NQF)
b. Reviewed the proposed modifications to the NQF Measure Evaluation Guidance for Evidence and Measure Testing.
c. Reviewed and voted on performance measures, rosters, and other applicable reports
5. Surgical Quality Alliance (SQA)
a. Reviewed and provided feedback on performance measures, including the Patient-centered Surgical Risk Assessment and Communication Measure. Reviewed and provided comments on SQA’s consensus document on the public reporting of physician data
6. AMA-convened Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement® (PCPI)
a. Reviewed and voted on performance measures, including but not limited to asthma, anesthesia/critical care, adult diabetes, preventive care, and hepatitis C measure sets
7. AQA (formerly known as the Ambulatory Care Quality Alliance)
a. Staff and physician representative presented AAO-HNS quality initiatives to the AQA Measures and Improvement Workgroup
History of the CHEER Clinical Research Coordinator Conference
CHEER Practice-based Research Network is an NIDCD-funded network comprising 30 sites in 17 states, and includes more than 200 otolaryngologists, 100 audiologists, and 50 SLPs, along with other research professionals. The focus of CHEER is to educate sites on practice-based research and maintain regulatory and research process infrastructure so sites are “at-the-ready” to participate in appropriate research studies. The CHEER Annual Coordinators Conference is one of CHEER’s flagship resources. Taking place at the Academy offices, the conference brings together study coordinators from the network, along with interested PIs and research professionals. The seventh annual conference will occur August 7-9. This article highlights experiences from the sixth annual conference. If you have questions about CHEER or the conference, please email Kristine Schulz at Kristine.schulz@duke.edu.