Within a framework of policies and priorities established by AFHTO board, QSC sets specific project priorities and objectives to demonstrate the value of team-based primary care and ultimately improve the quality of care delivered
Revised April 2019
Revised July 2021
This short video highlights a just few of the activities QIDSS (Quality Improvement Decision Support Specialists) provide but not all of the range of skills and competencies that can be taken advantage of. QIDSS are flexible. They do different activities for diverse teams depending on where the team is on their Quality Improvement (QI) journey. It’s not one size fits all!
Want to see what a QIDSS can do for YOUR team, watch the video for some ideas.
Contact your QIDSS for more information or if you’re not sure how to contact your QIDSS, e-mail improve@afhto.ca for assistance.
Thanks to 102 members who participated in the “Overcoming privacy issues in partnership agreements” webinar led by Kate Dewhirst of DDO. If you were unable to participate or want to review it click here to access the entire webinar. Also posted are:
Next Steps on Privacy: This work has benefited greatly from your comments, suggestions and real world feedback. It helps stage for collaboration within and between FHTs by helping members to navigate underlying privacy and data sharing considerations. Additional privacy-related questions have arisen. Please be assured they have all been logged and will be followed up. We hope that you will continue to make us aware of barriers and challenges and share your learning with us. We will continue to update members on this work.
The QIDS Innovation Fund is intended to create and test ways to advance measurement and improvement capacity, and from this, enable all members to benefit from better tools, knowledge and capability. AFHTO members responded to the invitation to apply with 18 proposals that addressed these goals and then some! The AFHTO Board would like to thank and congratulate all those who took the time to make proposals. Three projects have been identified for immediate support. These fast-tracked projects were selected both for the strength of their proposals and their potential to benefit the QIDS strategy and AFHTO members as a whole. Projects that have been identified for immediate support are:
Minimum Data Set Lead: Mary Keith, Executive Director, Garden City Family Health Team
This is a project aimed at determining both the readiness and priorities of the various Family Health Teams in LHIN 4 regarding a minimum measurable set of data items needed to track specific chronic conditions. Data collection will occur through an online questionnaire. Results of the MDS project should be ready by mid April 2014 and will provide our group with metrics for care management that will assist in the planning and implementation of projects for quality improvement in patient care.
This project is being led by Mary Keith, with the assistance of Urslin Fevrier-Thomas and Karl Langton, both from the Hamilton FHT. For more information contact Mary at mkeith@gardencityfht.com, Urslin at urslin.fevrierthomas@hamiltonfht.ca or Karl at Karl.Langton@HamiltonFHT.ca.
Performance Management Framework and Dashboard- A data storybook and performance song sheet! Lead: Heba Sadek, Executive Director, Queen’s Square Family Health Team
In the absence of a structural tool that enables organizations to organize and understand their accountability requirements, the response to quality initiatives can be frustrating and ad hoc. Through this initiative Queen Square and its partners: Dufferin Area, Halton Hills and North Peel Family Health Teams will identify a common framework for data mapping that will show how different indicators are used to meet different accountability requirements. Clinicians’ input will also be sought in indicator development and standardization that meets their needs and aligns with the Primary Care Performance framework.
For more information contact Heba Sadek at HSadek@queensquarefht.ca
Patient Encounter and Reporting Tracking System: Lead: Michelle Karker, Executive Director, East Wellington Family Health Team
The East Wellington Family Health Team (EWFHT) has been a leader in the development of tools to extract data from its EMR, including data that is now required for Quality Improvement Plans and Ministry reporting. Advanced prototypes are already in existence. This project funding will enable EWFHT to further refine the programming and respond to the requests to share these tools across with its QIDS partners and potentially across the province.
For further information contact Michelle Karker at michelle.karker@ewfht.ca.
Congratulations go out to this first group of teams. Another group of proposals has been short-listed. Stay tuned! A special thanks goes to the review panel which was chaired by Ross Kirkconnell, Executive Director, Guelph Family Health Team and included Brenda Fraser, Central West LHIN (well known to many from her work at QIIP) and Darren Larsen of OntarioMD and the OMA. “It was really difficult to pick and choose. We had such a great mix of ideas and initiatives which speaks very highly of the sector’s readiness to take on these types of challenges. There simply wasn’t enough money to support all the great ideas.” Watch the AFHTO members only web-site for progress updates and knowledge sharing opportunities on these exciting projects.
REMINDER: Opportunity to apply for QIDS Innovation Funding
A few days ago AFHTO announced the availability of $95,000 in QIDS Innovation Funding. Note that this one-time opportunity is very time sensitive. Interested applicants will need to notify Tim Burns (tim.burns@afhto.ca) of their intent to apply by December 6, 2013. This initiative will serve as a catalyst for collaboration and system capacity building. Every effort is being made to maintain a simple, yet transparent and open process for the allocation of these funds. All members, regardless of current QI or EMR sophistication are encouraged to consider applying or joining with peers to submit an application. It is anticipated that three to five projects will be supported.
Please refer to the QIDS Innovation Submission Process and Guidelines on the AFHTO members-only web-site for more detail. FHT EMR Landscape Report A first report on the FHT EMR Landscape is now available. AFHTO received over 120 suggestions for topics for discussion with EMR vendors at the October conference. The EMR sessions themselves were attended by over 330 individuals. The first FHT EMR Landscape Report will include an early analysis of gaps in adoption and functionality across EMRs. We look forward to your feedback as we would like to develop this into a regular report to share with members and our partners at OntarioMD and eHealth Ontario. QIDS Steering Committee Update The QIDS Steering Committee, Chaired by Ross Kirkconnell, had its first meeting on October 21. The group agreed to re-convene in the New Year for a more in-depth discussion of the six strategic themes that are emerging for the QIDS program:
1. Collaboration and leadership
2. Building QI Decision Support Capacity and Capability
3. Optimizing the current state
4. Identifying early opportunities to report on indicators and improving them over time
5. Aligning our partners and supply chain
6. Innovating to create access to new data sources, tools and knowledge.
QIDS Specialists in the field We are also delighted to hear from more and more QIDS Specialists and others in the decision support community in our weekly check-ins. For the list of QIDS Specialists and other decision support specialists across the province, please sign into the AFHTO members-only website then go to https://www.afhto.ca/news-events/news/library/qids/qids-specialist-team/.
Please contact Denise Pinto (improve@afhto.ca) to be added to our weekly check-in group. Coming up: Privacy Resources: Depending on the local context and the goals of the QIDS partnerships, it is possible that complex privacy issues and concerns could be raised by the partners. In order to provide additional support and build our collective expertise, AFHTO will be retaining the services of a privacy expert. Please continue to make us aware of these issues and concerns as well as any solutions that you are implementing so that we can build the provincial knowledge base.
Implementation of QIDS Partnerships: The provincial team is very interested in identifying practical means to support the evolution of QIDS partnerships. Tim Burns and Carol Mulder are reaching out to all QIDS hosts to gain a better understanding of successes and challenges in partnership implementation. We are aware that a number of very encouraging agreements are nearing fruition. Members are encouraged to share these documents with the provincial team as they become available so that they can serve as examples for others. The team is also available to help facilitate partnership discussion where this may be of assistance. For a more detailed update and to keep abreast of developments in the QIDS program, please visit https://www.afhto.ca/news-events/news//qids/
Submission Process and Guidelines Funds available: Approx. $95,000. It is anticipated that three to five projects will be supported. Target: AFHTO member led projects that align with the goals of the QIDS strategy. Funding can be used for new initiatives or to expand the scope of existing projects. General Principles: AFHTO is very pleased that the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has enabled this opportunity to use provincial QIDS program funding to create value for all of its members. Transparency, equity of access, accountability and value for money are paramount concerns as this initiative relies on public funds allocated for which the AFHTO Board is ultimately accountable. This initiative is intended serve as a catalyst for system capacity building. All members, regardless of their current QI and EMR sophistication or prior involvement in QIDS are encouraged to consider applying or partnering on applications. Although the funding is only available on a one-time basis, preference will be given to projects which promise to create enduring capacity in FHTs. This might be indicated by:
Eligibility criteria: To be considered for funding, projects must demonstrate their ability to accelerate progress in one or more of the following QIDS priority areas:
Terms: To be considered, projects need to be fully underway by the end of January, 2014. Projects, or at least the AFHTO funded portions thereof, will need to achieve substantial completion by March 31, 2014. Brief mid-point and closeout narrative reports will be required. Proponents will agree to contribute to QIDS knowledge exchange events and products to the extent practical. Funding amounts and eligible project costs will be determined at AFHTO’s sole discretion. Proponents and AFHTO will enter in to a formal letter of agreement to enable funding. Application process: The process described below is designed to create the most open opportunity possible for all members while moving very quickly to meet the need to achieve completion within the fiscal year. AFHTO is committed to fairness and transparency. Suggestions to improve this process are most welcome. Step 1. Intent to apply: It is very important to let AFHTO know if you intend to submit a proposal or have a promising project idea and need partners. A target date of December 16 has been set for submissions. Teams considering applying are requested to send a brief email to Tim Burns (tim.burns@afhto.ca) by December 6, 2013 indicating their intent to apply. The e-mail should include:
Based on this information, AFHTO and the selection committee will finalize the submission date (as close to the December 16th target date as possible) and communicate this to all who intend to apply. AFHTO may also facilitate joint proposals if projects are similar and proponents are agreeable. Step 2. Project description submissions: Remember, this is all about streamlining. Submissions should be no more than 2-3 pages in length at most! Suggested content:
Selection process: The review committee will rank all proposals received by December 16 (assuming this date is confirmed through the intent to apply process). Proponents may be requested to participate in a teleconference call to discuss their ideas and address questions from the selection committee. Once the proposals are ranked, up to $30,000 per proposal will be allocated in rank order until all available funding is committed. (It is possible that proposals will get either more or less funding than applied for based on the budget review and given the goal of providing meaningful support to as many projects as possible). Successful proponents will be notified within one week of submission of a final budget allocation so that projects can be initiated as soon as possible.
Highlights:
The survey will be open until 12 noon on October 17th, 2013. QSC Named: Your Quality Improvement Decision Support Steering Committee (QSC) has been named. It reflects widespread enthusiasm and support for the goals of the QIDS program. According to QSC Chair Ross Kirkconnell, “this is a great opportunity to provide more effective support to the great work FHTs are doing in Quality Improvement, and build greater capacity to tell our story to the rest of the system. I am really looking forward to working with this very talented and committed group.” Membership Chair: Ross Kirkconnell, Executive Director, Guelph FHT; AFHTO Board Members:
Advisors:
Ex Officio:
Staff: Tim Burns, Provincial Lead QIDS, AFHTO QIDS Specialists are coming on board: Some QIDS Specialists are now in place. Say hello to Melanie Young (Kenora), Meghan Peters (Sudbury- Val Caron), and Thiv Paramsothy (East GTA). Several more are expected to start within the next few weeks. Please be sure to put newly appointed QIDS Specialists in touch with Tim Burns (tim.burns@afhto.ca) as they join up. Employers are also encouraged to send QIDS Specialists to the AFHTO Conference for networking opportunities and a great deal of content that should be really interesting for them and highly relevant to their roles. Provincial QIDS Team Members: AFHTO is also very pleased to welcome Carol Mulder and Jenya Doudareva to the provincial team: Carol Mulder: Quality Improvement Decision Support Specialists Practice Lead Carol comes very well prepared to this role as she has extensive background in teaching and decision support capacity building. In addition to being a trained veterinarian, Carol holds an MSc in Epidemiology and is pursuing a doctorate in Quality improvement Knowledge, Beliefs and Behaviour. She has held senior roles in information management and was most recently the co-lead for the South West Regional Integrated Decision Support strategy. Carol will be starting on October 21, 2013. Jenya Doudareva: EMR/Technical Lead for QIDS Jenya has an M.A.Sc in Industrial Engineering from the Centre for Research in Healthcare Engineering at the University of Toronto. Jenya has worked on projects including multi-site process improvement in cancer screening and decision support models for orthopedic surgery scheduling. Jenya will be starting on October 16, 2013. EMR Vendor relationships: The QIDS Program will be working with the EMR vendor community to improve information and knowledge exchange and increase value for members. This approach builds on progress made by the Telus/PSS User Group (and thanks to Kevin Sampson, Fok-Jee Leung, Clarys Tirel and the rest of the PSS User Group). Responsibility for vendor relationship strategies is now transferring to the QIDS Program where it will be expanded under the guidance of the QSC. As a first step, EMR Vendor reps and Information and Knowledge Exchange Sessions have been set up for 8:00 to 8:45am on October 22 at the AFHTO conference for Bell, Nightingale, OSCAR, QHR Technologies and Telus. A vendor rep was not available from P&P Data Systems, however there will be an opportunity for users of their EMR to share information. In all, over 320 individuals have registered for these sessions. Thanks to registrants for over40 specific suggestions for topics to be addressed by vendors. These will be shared with vendors this week. Please contact Tim (tim.burns@afhto.ca) if you have any questions or need information regarding EMR vendor sessions. Community of Practice for Decision Support Team Members: Family Health Teams already have a lot of capacity in analytics and decision support and have a great deal to be proud of in what has already been accomplished. One of Carol Mulder’s primary roles will be to develop a Community of Practice for FHT professionals primarily focused (or interested in) Quality Improvement, Data Management and Analysis or Decision Support. This Community of Practice will help to will create relevant learning and knowledge sharing opportunities for many FHT team members in addition to the QIDS Specialists themselves. To assist us understanding how to identify and plan for this community we request that you take a moment to complete the survey. QIDS Implementation Survey: ACTION REQUESTED Please take a moment to complete the attached survey. It collects information which is of interest to all FHTs and is especially timely as the QSC will be starting its work this month. The information will help to provide QSC with a good snapshot of the program’s overall status and help the provincial team to launch a community of practice that will be open to all FHTs. Please complete a brief QIDS Implementation Survey
The survey will be open until 12 noon on October 17th, 2013.
QIDS Program Background
Data to Decisions 1.0 Resources
Recruitment Tools
Partnership Documents:
Yesterday’s interactive QIDS Program “Town Hall” was an opportunity to share information and gather input. Participants raised questions concerning sharing of QIDS Specialist positions, costs, and lines of accountability among other issues. These questions and others are posted on a “Frequently Asked Questions” document that will be updated from time to time as new information becomes available. Input received via participant polling and comments are already being used to plan next steps. Finally, in our update we indicated that funding approval for the AFHTO provincial team was “expected shortly.” I am very pleased to share the news that this funding was confirmed almost immediately following the Town Hall. We are very pleased to have been supported by the province to work with all of you on this exciting and timely program. Links to QIDS program information:
Keep in mind the AFHTO Annual Conference, Oct. 22-23, features a number of sessions that will help your FHT in its use of data to improve care, in streams such as Leadership and governance for quality, Using Data to Improve Care, Meaningful use of EMRs and EMR vendor sessions.
Family Health Teams have now received their 2013/14 funding packages. AFHTO is very pleased that funding for 34 full time equivalent Quality Improvement Decision Support (QIDS) Specialist positions has been confirmed for 33 “Host” FHTs. Up to 110 additional FHTs will have access to QIDS Specialist support and expertise through partnership agreements with Host FHTs. The final groupings for partnerships were arrived at by the ministry based on its review of Annual Submissions and discussions with the field. Although it is not stated explicitly in the funding package, the Ministry has confirmed that it expects Host FHTs to work toward a formal arrangement with each partner identified for them in either the Annual Submission or through subsequent discussions. Many Host FHTs are already in active discussion with their partners. However, if you are uncertain who you should be working with as a “partner” or “Host” please get in touch with Tim Burns at 647-234-8738 or your Ministry Contact. AFHTO is working with FHTs in the development of partnership agreement and recruitment tools: