Med-IQ and Alliance of Chicago HIV QI collaboration selected for presentation at APHA annual meeting

Coverys reaffirms its commitment to the improvement of patient care with the acquisition of Med-IQ, a leader in continuing medical education and healthcare improvement

The Med-IQ Quality Improvement (QI) Institute is pleased to announce that an abstract detailing the framework and results from its initiative, A Quality Improvement Project to Increase Universal HIV Testing and Linkage to Care in Community Health Centers, has been selected for an oral presentation at the American Public Health Association’s 2016 Annual Meeting and Expo in Denver, CO. The presentation, titled, “Improving rates of universal HIV testing in a network of community health centers linked by a centralized electronic health record system and data warehouse,” will be given on Tuesday, November 1, 2016 at 4:30 PM as part of session 4390.0, Patient Centered Care: A Role for Information Technology—Part I.

Of the 1.2 million individuals living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States (US), 12% are unaware of their serostatus, and one-third are not linked to medical care following initial diagnosis. Improving the early steps in the HIV care continuum is critically important to turning the tide against the HIV epidemic in this country, as 92% of new HIV cases result from either unknown infection or lack of medical care. This QI initiative is being conducted in collaboration with the Alliance of Chicago Health Services, L3C, and is funded by an educational grant from Gilead Sciences, Inc. By evaluating clinicians’ current knowledge and practices and by providing targeted education, evidence-based expert recommendations, and ongoing data feedback, this project strives to increase universal HIV testing at 6 community health centers in the Alliance of Chicago EHR System User Network that share a centralized electronic health record system (EHRS) and data warehouse. The data collection phase of the intervention lasts 6 months and is scheduled to be completed in November 2016.

“Increasing the number of individuals in the US who know their HIV serostatus is an important element of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which strives to dramatically reduce new transmissions and ensure optimal care to all those living with HIV,” said Allison Gardner, PhD, Vice President of Educational Strategy and Content at Med-IQ. “Our partnership with the Alliance of Chicago strengthens the potential impact of this QI initiative by enabling access to patient record data from busy community health centers in their EHRS user network—an important healthcare setting for implementing recommendations for universal, opt-out HIV testing of adolescents and adults set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United States Preventive Services Task Force guidelines.”

Additionally, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) has approved this QI initiative for Maintenance of Certification (MOC) recognition for the site champions at each of the 6 participating health centers. This allows these physicians to demonstrate their dedication to remaining up to date with the most recent scientific knowledge and practices in their specialty. This is Med-IQ’s 6th QI initiative approved by a specialty board for MOC credit.

About Med-IQ

Med-IQ, America’s most respected provider of continuing medical education (CME), inspires healthcare professionals through award-winning activities that deliver sophisticated outcomes-based educational designs with measurable results. Med-IQ is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the California Board of Registered Nursing (CBRN), and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). See how Med-IQ is helping to enhance patient outcomes in these short videos.

The Med-IQ Quality Improvement (QI) Institute supports the ongoing transformation of the healthcare system from a volume- to value-focused model, aiming to provide personalized, patient-centered, evidence-based, and efficient care. The QI Institute has won 6 awards for its initiatives, given 15 presentations at national conferences, been published 18 times in peer-reviewed journals, and worked with more than 50 healthcare systems. To date, more than 71,000 patient records have been reviewed as part of Med-IQ QI initiatives.

To learn more about Med-IQ, visit www.Med-IQ.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and connect with us on LinkedIn.

For more information, contact:

Sara C. Miller, MS
Director, QI Institute, CE Strategy and Content
866 858 7434
info@med-iq.com

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