Office of Nursing

Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement

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Progress 2008

In April 2008, all 18 health districts completed a statewide Zoomerang survey of District QA/QI activities. Using survey results, the Division’s Quality Assurance and Improvement Task Force identified points of excellence, opportunities for improvement and recommendations for action.

Points of Excellence:

  • There is a structure in place to support the QA/QI process.
  • There is a process in place in each District to identify and address opportunities. for improvement.
  • Conduct site visits to the County Health Department sites using the process and guidelines outlined in the QA/QI Manual.
  • Districts are placing substantial emphasis on measuring customer satisfaction.
  • Each District is dedicating efforts and resources to the review of clinical nursing services and the application of the QA/QI standards of practice.

The Opportunities for Improvement:

  • Although customer satisfaction surveys are conducted in each District, the survey questions and process are not standardized statewide and customer satisfaction data are not reported using and electronic or we based technologies.
  • The structure of the QA/QI Program is focused primarily on nursing practice.
  • Although some Districts have established standards and guidelines to maximize reimbursement for services provided, this is not fully developed or measured in a consistent manner in all Districts.
  • Although some Districts monitor state and county funding, there is currently no statewide mechanism for monitoring data and trends concerning the amount of Public Health State and County funding per capita by County/District.
  • There is no mechanism for measuring deliverables (outcomes) in relation to GIA funding.
  • Although each District conducts community health assessments, there is no standardized tool or process used to complete these profiles in each County.

Recommendations for Action:

  • Standardize the customer satisfaction survey process to include:
    • Uniform customer satisfaction survey questions
    • Standards for minimum frequency of customer satisfaction surveys
    • Web-based mechanism for customer feedback
  • Broaden the structure of Public Health oversight of quality to be inclusive of all Public Health programs and initiatives, such as Environmental Health. Recognize those Districts where efforts are developing to include other Public Health programs, such as Environmental Health, and provide support for further development statewide.
  • Develop mechanism to measure the number of client encounters by program in relation to reimbursement in each District statewide.
  • Develop a web-based mechanism for monitoring the amount of State and County per capital funding by County (grouped by District.)
  • Develop a mechanism for measuring the number of unduplicated clients served per program, the proportion of the population served and health outcomes in relation to the amount of GIA funding per County and District.
  • Develop a standardized tool and process for completing community health assessment profiles in each District.

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