Quality Improvement and Safety

The vision of the Department of Neurology is to align with the quality improvement and safety principles of our clinical partner, UMass Memorial Medical Center, and we are working to develop a robust QI process that will focus on transparency, accountability, integrity and teamwork.

To achieve this, we will be focusing on balancing safety, satisfaction and efficiency for co-workers and patients.

How do we meet our quality improvement and safety goals?

• Utilize systematic and LEAN philosophies on process and system issues to achieve continuous measurable improvements in health care and improve outcomes of our patients
• Utilize the entire health care team to find areas of opportunity for improvement
• Use data to drive positive change for our patients and co-workers
• Proactively review charts to confirm compliancy with requirements
• Perform research to improve our care and contribute to peer-reviewed medical literature
• Review safety intelligence reports and patient grievances, and create corrective actions, as needed
• Organize monthly department Mortality and Morbidity Grand Rounds
• Generate monthly department quality improvement newsletter
• Organize and lead monthly departmental QI process group
• Organize departmental meetings, including:
  
  • Stroke council meeting;
  • ED stroke meeting;
  • Inpatient stroke meeting; and
  • Stroke operational meetings (three times/month).
• Organize institutional meetings, including:
  
  • Readmission prevention task force;
  • M & M review committee; and
  • QI group. 
• Promote QI projects with residents

Departmental quality improvement and safety team

Brian Silver, MD – Department Chair and Sponsor

Adalia Jun-O’Connell, MD – Physician Quality Officer

Mary Rucho, APN, SCRN –  Stroke Coordinator

Suman Chaudhry, MS, RN – Clinical Data Coordinator