CQI Program Aims to Improve Patient Care at Clinic

By Dawn Joyner

Quality Assurance Manager

LCO Community Health Center

Continuous Quality Improvement (also referred to as CQI) is a program at the LCO Community Health Center designed to reflect a commitment on the part of the Clinic and its staff to ensure the highest standards of patient care are used throughout the facility.

Continuous Quality Improvement is meant to make improvements at the facility for the benefit of our patients and visitors including improvements in the care rendered and also in patient safety at the facility.

As the name implies this is a continuous operation and the duties of the CQI program include monitoring and evaluating patient care, patient safety, to identify opportunities for improvement in patient care and implementing methods to improve performance and safety.

The LCO Community Health Center is a AAAHC accredited “Medical Home” which means we place our patients first and foremost and we encourage them to get involved with not only their health care but also with suggestions on how to improve the clinic. We realize the most important resource we have is our patients and we welcome all feedback and suggestions.

The Clinic’s CQI program monitors, reviews and investigates all patient complaints received. In an effort to allow patients to feel more comfortable at the clinic and allow them to freely give feedback and suggestions, the clinic has revised the patient complaint process. The first revision was to change the name from “Patient Complaint Form” to “Quality Improvement Form” and revise the form.

It has been the Clinical practice for several years to only allow a patient to file a grievance. With the revision to the form the patient now has the ability to give all types of feedback, including negative and positive suggestions.

As the Clinic strives to improve the care given to patients and in general improve the clinical atmosphere, we know one of the most important aspects on how to improve the clinic is by patient feedback. A member of the community may have suggestions on how to improve the clinic atmosphere and care which a staff member does not notice.

An individual can file a grievance or suggestion by obtaining a Quality Improvement Form by asking any clinic staff member for a form. The patient or visitor will be asked at this point if they would also like to speak to the Quality Assurance Manager. If the patient chooses to fill out the paper form, the completed form is then submitted to the Quality Assurance Manager who reviews the information and takes the appropriate actions to address the patient’s concern. In the case of a suggestion for improvement the Quality Assurance Manager will investigate how the suggestion could benefit the clinic and implement process for improvement.

If the patient chooses to speak with the Quality Assurance Manager, the Quality Assurance Manager will meet with the person at that time in a private, confidential manner.

Our goal is to give our patients the best possible care and make them feel welcome at the clinic. All information we receive whether from a grievance or a suggestion is used to better the Clinic. We thank everyone who participates.