What you need to know before approaching clinicians about quality improvement

Before attempting to engage clinicians in quality improvement initiatives, you need to know how you’re going to answer two of their most immediate and important questions:

1. What is in it for me?
2. What do you need from me?

Let’s explore a few ways you can answer these important questions and how to better navigate these critical conversations.

To start, here are five benefits clinicians can get from value-based care and quality advancement initiatives. Identifying and conveying the “what’s in it for me” for clinicians is crucial to gaining their buy-in and engaging them long-term.

1. Enhanced patient outcomes: Value-based care and quality advancement focus on delivering high-quality care that improves patient outcomes. By following evidence-based practices, clinicians can achieve better health outcomes for their patients. This leads to a sense of fulfillment and professional satisfaction, knowing that they are making a positive impact on their patients’ lives.
2. Patient-centeredness: Clinicians who embrace this approach can develop stronger relationships with their patients and experience increased patient satisfaction. Building trust and collaboration with patients enhances the therapeutic alliance, leading to improved patient compliance and treatment outcomes.
3. Improved efficiency: Clinicians who actively participate in care coordination initiatives can experience streamlined workflows, reduction of duplicative services, and improved communication among the care team. This can lead to better efficiency in delivering care, allowing clinicians to focus more on direct patient interactions and providing higher-quality services.
4. Financial incentives: Value-based care models often provide financial incentives to clinicians who meet quality targets and achieve positive patient outcomes. These incentives can come in the form of bonuses, shared savings, or performance-based reimbursements. By participating in value-based care programs and achieving quality improvement goals, clinicians can benefit from these financial rewards, which can positively impact their income and professional development.
5. Professional development: Quality advancement efforts place clinicians directly in the line of the latest evidence-based practices, clinical guidelines, and quality improvement methodologies. Clinicians can engage in educational programs, workshops and collaborative projects, ultimately expanding their knowledge and skills and establishing them at the forefront of their field.

Now, let’s explore the five roles clinicians play in executing quality improvement plans. As important as it is to help clinicians understand the why, they also need to know exactly what you need from them. Read: no beating around the bush. Their responsibilities typically include:

1. Leadership and governance: Clinicians can actively participate in quality committees, task forces or advisory groups to provide clinical expertise and insights. Clinician-led governance helps ensure that improvement efforts are clinician-driven, an approach which fosters ownership and accountability.
2. Identifying areas for improvement: Clinicians are at the forefront of patient care and can identify areas where quality improvements are needed. They can contribute their insights and perspectives on clinical workflows, patient safety, care processes and outcomes. By actively participating in data review, incident reporting and root cause analysis, clinicians can help identify gaps and prioritize improvement opportunities.
3. Implementation and adoption: Clinicians should actively participate in educational programs, training sessions and workshops to learn about new practices and interventions. By embracing and championing these changes, they can help ensure successful integration into their daily practice.
4. Measurement and monitoring: Clinicians can actively engage in data collection, documentation and reporting, ensuring accuracy and completeness. They can also participate in performance reviews and data analysis to track progress and identify opportunities for further improvement.
5. Patient engagement and shared decision-making: Clinicians can actively involve patients in quality improvement efforts. They can promote patient engagement, communication, and shared decision-making to understand patient perspectives, preferences and experiences. Clinicians can gather feedback, incorporate patient-reported outcomes and involve patients in co-designing care processes to enhance patient-centeredness.

For more tips and best practices on engaging clinicians in value-based care initiatives, stick with me. Next, I’ll share the major do’s and do nots of clinician engagement; you won’t want to miss it!