HQR Pursues Best Practices in Care, Cost and Access

Left to right, Dr. John Collins, an executive of the Capital District Physicians Health Plan, Alden Doolittle, director of consulting services for UAlbany's Institute for Healthcare Management (IHM), Dr. John H. Morley, medical director of Albany Medical Center (AMC), and Kathleen Gersowitz, IHM director, are among the leaders of the Capital Region's HealthCare Quality Roundtable, which is coordinating improvements within the region's healthcare services. The group stands above AMC's main entrance and waiting room.

A reality among many regions’ healthcare organizations is that, while they may long to work collaboratively, they are basically trained to compete.

“It’s true — we don’t know that much about how to collaborate,” said Alden Doolittle, director for consulting services in the University’s Institute for Healthcare Management. “One of the Institute’s first goals was to provide a supportive framework mechanism to learn how to instill collaboration, establish some success at it, and build from there.”

The result was the HealthCare Quality Roundtable of the Capital Area (HQR). “HQR is a group of physician leaders with the vision required to take us to the next generation of healthcare in the Capital Region,” said Dr. John N. Morley, vice president of medical affairs and medical director of Albany Medical Center, and also HQR co-chair. “It’s a group that recognizes the need to balance improved quality, cost containment, and improved access.”

HQR is not a lecture series, said Doolittle. “We realize there is evidence that many ‘best practices’ work in this region, but there has been variation in the way they have been deployed and used,” he said. “HQR seeks to learn from the variation that exists in treating a specific illness.”

The Roundtable, consisting of 13 representatives from the leading health plans, hospitals and physician group practices in the region, chose 2003 as the “Year for Breakthroughs in Care of Persons with Diabetes.” It established common clinical guidelines among members and began a profiling system to combine data from all major healthcare payers to show physicians how well they are following guidelines with their patients. Two major seminars are planned for the coming year to promote the guidelines.

“It has been gratifying to see the Roundtable become a forum where clinical leaders can come together to improve the provision of healthcare services in our region,” said John Collins M.D., HQR co-chair and vice president for medical affairs and medical director of the Capital District Physicians Health Plan. “Making 2003 the year to focus on care for diabetes is an example of how that collaboration can translate into actual improvement in care.”

The Roundtable serves the overall aim of the Institute, which is part of the University’s School of Business. Founded in 1992, it is charged with providing insight and expertise to the management side of healthcare through research, consulting, education, and community service.
“This is particularly important today, since this is a very volatile period for the healthcare industry,” said Institute Director Kathleen Gersowitz. “The Institute’s initiatives provide a neutral, creative atmosphere for the exchange of ideas and draw on the talents of University faculty, healthcare practitioners, and other recognized experts in their fields.”

Educational activities are focused on a series of monthly breakfast programs that bring over 200 healthcare managers together for presentations and discussion on current, critical healthcare issues. Consulting teams — including both faculty and students — and applied research are directed to a wide range of governmental, private, and not-for-profit organizations.

“Student support is invaluable, so the Institute provides undergraduate and graduate student assistantships, field project opportunities, internship possibilities, and job placement assistance,” said Gersowitz. “The students support the work of local healthcare agencies while gaining valuable educational and career experience.”
“The end result is the Institute’s commitment to seeing best practices more widely deployed with the region’s patients,” said Doolittle. “HQR does this by creating a neutral base to hold honest, intellectual conversations.
“One of my favorite quotes is from Neils Bohr, the physicist, who in his biography noted ‘All science (knowledge) begins in conversation.’ Thanks to the University, I think HQR has started a very effective learning conversation within the community.”