Friday, January 17, 2025
1/17/2025
The Kansas Clinical Improvement Collaborative, LLC (KCIC), operates a rural clinically integrated network comprised of 85 participating hospitals, physician practices and other providers across 72 of Kansas’ 105 counties. More than 80 percent of these counties presently are designated as health professional shortage areas. KCIC’s is a wholly owned subsidiary of The University of Kansas Health System (health system), the academic medical center affiliated with the state’s only medical school, the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC). KCIC is governed by a board of managers comprised of representatives from participating organizations. KCIC seeks a cooperative agreement under the Technology-enabled Collaborative Learning Program to develop, implement and evaluate an ECHO-like model (EELM) to support participating providers’ adoption and implementation of evidence-based guidelines for (1) managing pregnancy, delivery and post-partum care consistent with resources available in the local community; and (2) diagnosing and managing rural patients with Alzheimer’s or dementia. KCIC will partner with KUMC’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and the Department of Population Health to deliver this programming in a manner that meets the specific needs of rural providers. KCIC will collaborate with the University of Kansas Center for Telemedicine and Telehealth (KUCTT), a HRSA Telehealth Resource Center within KUMC, to maximize the project’s effectiveness and replicability. The project’s goals and objectives include: (1) assist rural providers in adopting and implementing evidence-based guidelines for treating patients during obstetric emergencies or patients with Alzheimer’s or dementia through tailored protocols adapted to their community’s specific needs and resources and engage in continuous performance improvement; (2) reduce incidents of severe maternal morbidity among women of child-bearing age in participating communities; (3) slow the progression to middle-state and late-stage disease for residents of participating communities diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia; and (4) reduce turnover rates for providers and clinical staff in participating communities. The modality by which the model will be delivered is a local in-person boot camps with virtual participation by KUMC specialists who participated in the development of standard evidence-based guidelines. KCIC’s medical director and project managers will attend the boot camps in person to facilitate discussion, including tailoring the guidelines to the community’s specific needs and resources. The prenatal and maternal health boot camp will include simulation training run remotely by clinical staff at KUMC’s Kansas City campus. Following the local boot camp, KCIC staff will collect data relating to selected performance measures by directly accessing providers’ electronic health records. Staff will analyze the data and prepare individual participant reports identifying opportunities for improvement. Staff will meet with clinical leaders virtually to review and discuss these reports. Also, staff will arrange for virtual follow-up training and consultation with the specialists as requested by participants.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).