Population Management: A Tool to Improve Timely Care in Pediatric and Young Adult Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. (18th July 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Prendaj, Erealda; Thomas, Sharon; Tomer, Gitit
• Other Names: Gionchetti Paolo Academic Editor.
• Is Part Of: Gastroenterology research and practice. Volume 2019(2019)
• Publication Date: 2019-07-18
• Subjects: Gastroenterology -- Periodicals; Digestive organs -- Diseases -- Periodicals; 616.33005
• DOI: 10.1155/2019/4702969
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1687-6121

Abstract

Abstract : Background . Maintenance of health leads to better outcomes in patients with chronic illness. ImproveCareNow, an international inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) quality improvement (QI) network, recommends maintenance-of-health visits twice a year. We identified a gap in care, with only 64% of IBD patients having documented visits within 200 days. Therefore, we sought to improve our follow-up rate to a goal of 80%. Methods . Using population management (PM) reports, we identified patient-, data-, and treatment-related reasons for no documented visit within 200 days. We used the Pareto chart, key drivers, and process flow mapping and implemented changes using Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles to improve follow-up visit rates. Outcomes were presented using a control run chart with pre- and post- intervention data. Results . The most common reasons for no visits were patient nonadherence with appointments (50%) and relocation/transition to an adult provider (25%). The median percentage of documented visits within 200 days increased from 64% to 83% (p < 0.0001 ), and this increase has been sustained for one year. Conclusions . Using the PM tool and focused QI interventions improved data quality and the percentage of patients with a documented visit within 200 days. The process is simple and can be applied to patients with other chronic illnesses.