NQC provides quality improvement services built around three core components:
- Sharing: Rapid dissemination of information related to quality improvement and quality management through websites, listserv activities, direct mail, etc.
- Training: Training and educational fora on a wide array of quality-related topics through conference calls, webcasts, educational workshops and the development of a train-the-trainer program.
- Consulting: Intensive, individualized on-site and off-site consultation, which may involve online and telephone consultation and review of quality management materials.
To request quality improvement technical assistance, download the TA Request Form and submit the completed form to NQC at NQCTA@health.state.ny.us.
National Quality Center (NQC)
New York State Department of Health
90 Church Street, 13th Floor
New York, NY 10007-2919
Phone: (888) NQC-QI-TA [(888) 672-7482]
Fax: (212) 417-4684
Website: http://nationalqualitycenter.org/QualityAcademy/index.cfm
Need for Quality Technical Assistance
In November 2003, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released Measuring What Matters: Allocation, Planning, and Quality Assessment for the Ryan White CARE Act. The report recognized the HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau’s efforts in the area of quality management, which had been underway for several years at the time of the report’s release. However, it went on to state that more could be done to measure and improve the quality of care provided by Ryan White grantees.
In addition to the IOM report, other factors have pointed to the need for more technical assistance in the area of quality management.
At the Ryan White CARE Act All Titles Grantee Meeting in August 2002, a three-workshop Quality Institute was held and more than 150 requests for the training materials and handouts were received. A similar response was noted at the All Titles Grantee Meeting that was held in 2004.
A significant number of grantees have participated in the TA conference calls that have been held related to quality improvement. In July 2003, a national TA call was held and more than 740 grantees registered for this call. A study of Title I and II grantees, conducted in 2003, identified quality management as one of the top TA needs.
Site visits have also documented difficulties grantees have experienced implementing quality improvement programs. In some instances, grantees have implemented programs, but have not been able to make or document substantial improvement. Other site visit observations included the failure to identify clinical indicators, absence of quality improvement teams, and an inability to sustain quality activities over time. In 2003, the Division of Training and Technical Assistance conducted a pilot evaluation to assess the impact of training and technical assistance received by the Ryan White grantees. The evaluation revealed that the majority of TA requests were related to the implementation of quality management programs and grantees' desire to implement or improve upon their quality management program.
All of these factors reinforce the need for the National Quality Center — a national, central repository, and TA resource for quality improvement efforts in HIV care. In 2005, NQC conducted a needs assessment to help inform the development and implementation of TA services. The assessment was conducted with 390 key stakeholders including HRSA/HAB staff, HRSA-funded RWCA grantees from across the nation and across the continuum of Titles, consumers of RWCA services and representatives of the Regional AIDS Education and Training Centers (AETCs). Click here for the Executive Summary highlighting key findings of this assessment.
