The Quality Improvement & Patient Safety (QIPS) Pathway

QI pathway

The Quality Improvement & Patient Safety (QIPS) Pathway is designed for those seeking leadership in improving our healthcare system. All internal medicine residents at Boston Medical Center participate in quality improvement projects in their second year. The project teams are usually headed by members of the QI Pathway. Many lead further projects in their senior year targeted towards their particular interests. Residents who are selected for the QIPS Pathway are those that want to take improvement further and truly make it a part of their career in medicine. The QIPS Pathway is designed to create the future leaders of medicine. It focuses on promoting the knowledge, teamwork, and teaching skills necessary to take on a leadership role in improving systems of care, both locally and abroad.

QI Experiences

Pathway residents have unique interests ranging from micro-systems improvement to health policy and public health. In order to offer a broad exposure to the QIPS community nationwide, residents have the opportunity to attend a number of QI conferences with full funding throughout their training. Residents have been involved in a wide range of projects at Boston Medical Center and the VA Boston Healthcare System in a variety of clinical contexts.

While in the pathway, residents become deeply involved in the operations of our medical center to promote exceptional care for our patients including the following:

  • Joining various operations committees
  • Working directly with the executive leadership and board of trustees
  • Collaborating with the Massachusetts Medical Society and in the Massachusetts Chapter of the American College of Physicians Council of Residents.
  • Serving in numerous roles in concert with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), such as co-chairing the National Forum for Quality Improvement in Health Care
  • Attending the Academy for Emerging Leaders in Patient Safety (formerly the Telluride Patient Safety Round Table) and being chosen as ACMQ National Quality Scholars and Lown Right Care Educators.

poster

QI Projects

Residents frequently obtain funding for improvement projects. A $25,000 grant was recently awarded to a QIPS resident to improve transitions of care. Boston Medical Center is a leading hospital in supporting its residents in Quality Improvement both with financial resources and by encouraging and welcoming resident attendance at meetings with top hospital executives.

Recent Projects in the Pathway Include:

  • Efforts to improve hand hygiene in the intensive care unit
  • Smoking cessation in high risk patients
  • Optimizing medication reconciliation
  • Increasing adverse event reporting

QIPS Core Competencies

  • IHI self-study certificate
  • Completion of the ACP/APDIM Cost Conscious Care Curriculum
  • Experience with the Boston Medical Center QIPS office including involvement in Root Cause analysis meetings, medical-legal meetings, and multi-disciplinary (RNs, IT, administration) project implementations
  • Involvement in at least one QIPS and/or IT Committee at BMC
  • Development and implementation of a QIPS project either by the individual or in conjunction with other members in the pathway
  • VA Patient safety elective (At least 1 elective block)
  • Mentoring with QIPS experts in the Department of Medicine, VA, and at BMC level