Quality Quest for Health is a regional collaboration founded by OSF Healthcare System and Caterpillar Inc., community leaders who believe healthcare can be better than it is today. How is Quality Quest for Health addressing the need for healthcare improvement? We use quality improvement teams to identify and address specific healthcare issues. Our Quest Teams use 6 Sigma methods to get at the heart of an issue and define real solutions.

Here is an overview of our current Quest Team initiatives. 

Building on the success of the Statins Project, the Affordable Medications Quest Team broadened their focus to look at overall medication affordability. The way to reduce medication costs for patients is to increase the use of generic medications. Analysis of medical claims information demonstrated a wide difference in the prescription rate of generic medications between medical practices. The team developed a report comparing the generic prescribing rates of seven medical specialties and have shared the information with physicians. The report will be made available to consumers in the fall of 2008.

Evidence-Based Care Standards
Team Lead:
Dr. James Graumlich, Chair, Department of Medicine, U of I College of Medicine at Peoria
Black Belt:
Tom Thomas, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center

In an optimal healthcare system, the type of care provided to a patient for a specific condition is the same from doctor to doctor and from office to office. How can a standard of care be adopted and applied across physician practices? The answer lies in the work of a Quest Team that looked at evidence-based care standards for our region.

Twenty healthcare leaders reviewed all available care standards. The team, using a sophisticated process to evaluate and rank each set of guidelines, selected care standards from the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI). Quality Quest for Health will promote these care standards throughout our work. The selected guidelines are available publicly at www.ICSI.org. The step for the next team is to support the successful adoption of the guidelines within the community.

Colonoscopy Quality
Team Lead:
Dr. Terry Baldwin, Gastroenterologist, Gastroenterology Ltd.
Black Belt:
Rusty Hewit, Caterpillar Inc.

Colonoscopies are an important tool when it comes it to detecting and monitoring colon cancer. Central Illinois has an unusually high rate of colon cancer compared to other regions. In order to ensure quality colonoscopies in our area, a team of physicians in gastroenterology, surgery and pathology have reviewed and agreed upon a set of care standards for the procedure. Physicians who perform colonoscopies will collect and report information that will show how well they are meeting the agreed to care standards. Quality Quest for Health will provide comparative results to physicians and consumers in 2008.  

2008

Healthy Lifestyles
Team Lead:
Dr. Mike Taylor, Assistant Medical Director, Caterpillar Inc.
Black Belt:
Angela Brown, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center

A Quest Team will examine ways to improve healthy lifestyles by looking at how physicians address each of four specific areas with patients: smoking, exercise, a low fat diet, and limited alcohol consumption.

Team Members:

Preventative Care
Team Lead:
Dr. John Halvorsen, Chair, Department of Family Medicine, U of I College of Medicine at Peoria
Black Belt:
Stacey Boland, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center

Studies show that more than half of all Americans do not receive all of the important preventive services they need. A Quest Team will work to develop the processes, tools and other support systems to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of preventive care provided in central Illinois.

Team Members:

Medical Home
Team Lead:
Dr. Dean Gravlin, Internist, Internal Medicine Group of Peoria
Black Belt:
Anoop Mahajan, CGN

The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is a model where each patient has a personal relationship with a physician trained to provide first contact, continuous and comprehensive care. The personal physician leads a team of healthcare professionals at the practice level who collectively take responsibility for treating and managing care of the whole person.

A Quest Team will create a Medical Home model for the tri-county area, including the processes, tools, and information that address continuous, comprehensive care for the patient. The team will also develop the necessary steps to implement a Medical Home pilot project.

Team Members:

Secondary Vascular Risks
Team Leads:
Dr. Steve Hippler, Internal Medicine, OSF Medical Group Clinical Research Center
Dr. Craig Kurtz, Cardiologist, HeartCare Midwest
Black Belt:
Jocelyn Kendig, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center

Diabetes and coronary artery disease are becoming increasingly more common. Heart disease remains the leading cause of premature death in the U.S. and Illinois. Secondary vascular complications from these conditions such as heart attack, stroke, and amputations are common, debilitating and largely preventable. A Quest Team will develop the processes, tools and other support systems to enhance the management of vascular risks in patients at increased risk of secondary vascular complications.

Team Members:

ICSI Guidelines Implementation
Team Lead:
Dr. Jim Bauer, Internist, Internal Medicine Group of Peoria
Black Belt:
Tom Thomas, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center

This Quest Team picks up the ball from the Evidence-Based Care Standards team and will work to facilitate the adoption of ICSI (Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement) care standards in the region and use of the guidelines by physicians and consumers. The team will also build a working relationship with ICSI.

Team Members: