APCA’s QI Team provides QI training and coaching to assist organizations identify and address opportunities for improvement. This is made available through various projects.
Activities include:
Individualized QI work sessions that are held virtually and in-person when possible for the health center staff;
Facilitation of assessments the health center identifies as relevant; and
Walkthroughs with health center staff through the process of utilizing QI tools & techniques with the identified improvement opportunity
APCA staff has a toolkit with many different QI tools and techniques. APCA applies, shares, and teaches health centers how to utilize these resources to help health centers reach their improvement project goals.
Alaska Quality Improvement Network (AQuIN) AQuIN, a QI network, is comprised of all health centers in Alaska. Activities within AQuIN include monthly collaborative calls alternating “Data Deep Dives” and “Academy” calls, semi-annual data summits, and peer networking and support through the use of Sharepoint groups and listservs.
Social Drivers of Health (SDoH) SDoH is one of the focus areas for training and technical assistance. Activities include training on SDoH risk factors and the different SDoH screening tools including their benefits and drawbacks.
Team Based Care (TBC) APCA staff provide training and technical assistance focused on Team Based Care (TBC). This includes how TBC aligns with Patient Centered Medical Home ideology. Twice yearly TBC Collaboratives are held and open to all health centers in Alaska. During the collaboratives, relevant TBC content is provided to participants and office hours are available for individualized one-on-one technical assistance.
Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) The medical home model holds promise as a way to improve health care in America by transforming how primary care is organized and delivered. Building on the work of a large and growing community, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) defines a medical home not simply as a place but as a model of the organization of primary care that delivers the core functions of primary health care.
This model encompasses five functions and attributes: Comprehensive Care
Patient-Centered;
Coordinated Care;
Accessible Services;
Quality;
and Safety.
Three organizations who offer Patient Centered Medical Home or Primary Care Medical Home (PCMH) status are AAAHC, The Joint Commission, and NCQA. Each of the three organizations maintain their own their process for achievement.
PCMH Weekly Office Hours: Weekly meetings every Thursday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. provide an opportunity to answer your PCMH questions as you work on practice transformation. For more information and specific assistance, please contact: Sharayah Foster, MPH, Training & Technical Assistance Coordinator at TeamTTA@alaskapca.org
