• 2016 Colloquium: Inspiring, Thought Provoking, Energizing
• Upcoming ICSI Events
• Other Noteworthy Events
• Updates on our Work
• New & Noteworthy
• ICSI Scientific Documents

2016 Colloquium: inspiring, thought provoking, energizing

Thank you to all who attended the 19th Annual ICSI Colloquium on Health Care Transformation. This year's focus on "advancing health care value for all" resonated with attendees, as many indicated a desire to better understand the needs of their community and were ready to seek opportunities to try some of the successful community connection strategies they heard about during the two-day conference.

What else got people buzzing? Dr. Corey Martin's workshop on coping with and preventing burnout; keynoters Gary Cunningham (pictured at left), and Tiffany Christensen (pictured at right); and multiple opportunities to better understand and prepare for the payment system changes just around the corner, judging from attendee comments and conversation in the mobile app.

We're pleased that two-thirds of our member and sponsor organizations sent at least one person to the conference, and there were a number of first-timers this year as well, from both our new member organizations and other stakeholders in our work.

For more about the Colloquium, including a photo gallery, visit the Colloquium web page. And mark your calendar now for our 20th annual conference, May 8-10, 2017 at the same location in Brooklyn Park.

updates on our work

Affirming the Value of Minnesota's Health Care
Improvement Collaboratives

Minnesota has long been fortunate to have two leading regional health care improvement collaboratives, the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI) and Minnesota Community Measurement (MNCM). Our organizations have often partnered on projects important to improving care in our community, and recently decided to explore whether a more formally combined organization was needed in order to continue meeting the community’s needs and expectations into the future.

After six months of exploration and careful consideration by a formal work group, stakeholders and both Boards of Directors, the value of each organization was reaffirmed, and it was decided that maintaining separate, independent nonprofit entities is the proper course at this time. ICSI and MNCM plan to continue our long-standing partnership and joint commitment to achieving the Triple Aim in Minnesota.

Team Quality Improvement: SIM Learning Community in Action

A recent event in St. Cloud for participants in the ICSI Team Quality Improvement (QI) Learning Community provided further QI skills training and also highlighted the great work that several West Central health care organizations are doing to involve patients and community partners in new ways. The afternoon began with a presentation by Darlene Hafner, a member of the ICSI Patient Advisory Council, who illuminated the value of patient involvement and the many different ways that patient partners can be involved in improving care. In the video below, Dar talks about patient rounding, an idea she shared at the event.

During the rest of their time together, participating organizations shared their QI stories:

• Hutchinson Health has partnered to co-locate a Public Health Liaison within its clinic walls
• CentraCare is using Community Health Workers with the Somali and other communities
• Ortonville Area Health Services has launched a Patient/Family Partnership Council
• TriCounty of Wadena is developing community wellness programs
• Southern Prairie Community Care is working with Somali, Hispanic, Karen and Micronesian communities around health equity and access

This nine-month learning community brings quality improvement training and consulting to West Central Minnesota, with an emphasis on team development and communication skill-building. It is made possible by funding from the Minnesota Department of Health and State Innovation Model (SIM). For more information, please contact ICSI's Tani Hemmila.

The Power of the Patient's Voice

Care. Listening. Relief. Empathy. These are just some of the words chosen by ICSI's Patient Advisory Council (PAC) members to describe what value in health care means to them. In a powerful beginning to the session at this year's Colloquium, an audience of nearly 50 heard each patient speak their value word, accompanied by signs held up by audience members. Then, four PAC members shared their individual stories of finding value in health care, giving clinicians a window into the patient's thoughts as they experience our complex health care system. Watch a short video with all the words, paired with the recorded voices of patients, also available on the PAC web page.

SHARE EBM Decision Aid Study Summary

ICSI and the Mayo Clinic partnered in an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) grant to help incorporate evidence-based medicine with patient preferences at the time of medication decisions. In this SHARE EBM study, we investigated processes that enhance use of decision aids and shared decision-making at point of care, including decision aids for osteoporosis, diabetes, hypertension, depression and lipid medications. A learning summary is now available. Learn more about ICSI's work in shared decision-making.

new & noteworthy

ACT Health IT: Accelerating Care Transformation
Through Health Information Technology

Normandale Community College in Bloomington, MN is offering free training to health care professionals to help with the transition to value-based systems. It will be short, online, and CEU/CME eligible. This training is part of a national grant through the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT to help transform health care from fee-for-service to value-based systems. In the first year, Normandale has been developing materials to infuse five new topics into existing national curriculum: 1) population health management, 2) care coordination and interoperable health IT systems, 3) value-based care, 4) health care data analytics, and 5) patient-centered care.

Space is limited. For more information about the training, contact Tracy Mastel at 952-358-8035.

Scientific Documents

Work Groups Underway

Thank you to all of the ICSI members who are contributing their time to help work on guidelines. Work groups are currently meeting for our pain, stroke, and asthma guidelines. The lipids work group will convene in June. For any questions about our guideline work, please contact Jodie Dvorkin.