AMGA, AMGF announce grantees in COPD Best Practices Learning Collaborative

The American Medical Group Association (AMGA) and the American Medical Group Foundation (AMGF) today announced recipients of grants for quality improvement initiatives focusing on care management for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Recipients are medical groups, IPAs, academic practices, and integrated delivery systems that responded to a request for proposals distributed in August 2010.

The learning collaborative supports improvements in chronic care management systems that focus on improving the care of patients with COPD across all care settings. The program offers a shared learning environment where participants can exchange strategies and experiences as they work to improve the care provided to patients with COPD. Through a yearlong series of activities, participating organizations will have the opportunity to test approaches and design care processes that are relevant to their clinical and operational models. As a result, Best Practices will be developed and shared around the work of the collaborative groups. This initiative is important because COPD is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and results in an economic and social burden that is both substantial and increasing.

The following medical groups received $10,000 educational grants to support their quality improvement efforts through participation in the Managing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Learning Collaborative:

Advocate Physician Partners, Mount Prospect, IL
Fallon Clinic, Worcester, MA
Geisinger Health System, Wyoming, PA
Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Wellesley, MA
HealthCare Partners Medical Group, Torrance, CA
Novant Medical Group/Novant Health, Winston-Salem, NC
University of Michigan Faculty Group Practice, Ann Arbor, MI

In addition, several medical groups have been invited to participate in the collaborative on an unfunded basis:

Colorado Springs Health Partners, PC, Colorado Springs, CO
DuPage Medical Group, Winfield, IL
FirstHealth Home Care Services/ FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital, Pinehurst, NC
Center for Respiratory & Sleep Medicine; and St. Francis Hospitals and Health Centers, Greenwood, IL
Mercy Clinics, Inc., Des Moines, IA
The Everett Clinic, Everett, WA

The COPD Learning Collaborative is supported by an Advisory Committee of physicians and quality improvement experts to help guide the development of the collaborative:

Michael S. Eichenhorn, M.D., Henry Ford Hospital
William Goodman, M.D., M.P.H., Dartmouth-Hitchcock Pulmonary Medicine
Shirley Fong Jones, M.D., Scott and White Memorial Hospital/Texas A&M Health Science Center
Anne Margaret Mahoney, M.D., Virginia Mason Medical Center
Barry J. Make, M.D., FACP, FCCP, FACVPR, National Jewish Health
Charlene E. McEvoy, M.D., M.P.H., HealthPartners
David Edmond Taylor, M.D., Ochsner Medical Center

The participating groups participated in a kick-off meeting held at the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas, Texas, November 10-12, 2010. The meeting provided an opportunity for groups to network with their peers and to officially present their team's project to the collaborative. Many of the groups share common challenges in providing optimum care for COPD. One of the most prevalent challenges is diagnosis-how to define and identify patients with COPD. Another common and related challenge is the use of spirometry-getting the test done (accurately), interpreting the results, and using the results once in hand. In addition, the collaborative will work together to develop an optimal care framework that includes a comprehensive, patient-centered, value-based approach to chronic care.

Collaborative groups will be able to regularly network with peers, participate in bi-monthly conference calls on relevant project topics, attend two in-person meetings, and have timely access to industry experts. The Learning Collaborative commenced in November 2010 and continues through November 2011.

The Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Best Practices Learning Collaborative is an educational service supported by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

SOURCE American Medical Group Association and American Medical Group Foundation