Our American friends at The Institute of Healthcare Improvement have two courses coming up that may be of interest.

Transforming the Primary Care Practice

If you are going to be in Washington DC in September (27-29th), you may like to attend a three-day program called Transforming the Primary Care Practice.

“Primary care and the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) are increasingly at the center of health care reform discussions. To achieve improved quality, enhanced access, and lower costs throughout the entire health care system, office practices must be at the forefront of reform. However, it can be difficult for already overburdened providers to know where to turn to learn the principles necessary to meet new regulations, improve their practice, and have a lasting impact.

Experts will teach the principles of accessible family-centered care, meaningful use of health information technology, shared decision making, and advanced primary care principles. The robust curriculum will immerse participants in key changes, lay a foundation for ongoing improvement, and propel them towards a high-functioning, more cost-effective system to meet community needs.”

Improving Access: Dramatically Reduce Waits and Delays for Care

If you can’t make it across the Pacific, the IHI are also offering a Web & Action series that you can access via the internet from the comfort of your own home (albeit you’ll need to get up in the middle of the night to fully participate). The first webinar is on October 6th.

“Waits, delays, high patient no-show rates, and overburdened providers are often viewed as inevitable in the office practice setting. However, organizations that have successfully implemented a system of open access know that there is a better way. With the right system, any office can reduce wait times, improve patient and provider satisfaction, and decrease their no-show rate.

Improving Access: Dramatically Reduce Waits and Delays for Care, is a four-session, web-based program that will provide your practice with the tools and guidance to understand the relationship between supply and demand, work down your backlog, optimize your care team, and develop contingency plans. This learning will launch you on your path to world-class patient access.”

If you attend either of these seminars, make sure you share your learnings with us.