The Chronic Care Model Practice Change Patient-Centered Medical Home Regional Quality Improvement Evidence for Better Care Resource Library About US

Steps for Improvement

This section represents ICIC's first attempt, in 2004, to assist individual practice teams in improving care for tne chronically ill patient they serve.   The Steps for Improvement were designed not only to impart information about how to improve, but also to help you to take action on the information you read. The materials are laid out in a step-by-step fashion with “To Do” lists at the end of each section.

As you work through these materials, think about how the ideas presented might apply to your practice. Think about the staff in your office and how they can be used in new ways. Think about how processes of caring for patients can be streamlined or re-invented. Be creative: test bold ideas that challenge how your practice is run. Success is far more likely if you consider the redesign of your care rather than patching up a current system that may not be meeting your team's (or your patients’) needs.

This manual was created to provide:

• A step-by-step process to begin testing change in your practice setting; and
• The tools necessary to test and implement those changes and measure your success.

The manual represents ICIC's experience creating office practice change through collaborative learning environments similar to the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Breakthrough Series Collaboratives. We learned that successful collaborative participants tend to create system change in their practices in a similar way. There’s a sequence to the implementation of practice changes that leads to improved outcomes faster than teams that don’t follow this specific order.

• Download a print copy of "Steps to Improvement"