Florida CMS Learning and Action Network
By building the quality improvement (QI) capacity of specialty programs, this Learning and Action Network will grow and support a high-quality system of care in Florida that serves all children and youth with special healthcare needs (CYSHCN), regardless of insurance status and location.
Enhancing provision of and access to care for CYSHCN with medical complexity
NICHQ in collaboration with the Florida Department of Health lead a Learning and Action Network (LAN) for Children’s Medical Services to build the quality improvement (QI) capacity of specialty programs to grow and support a high-quality system of care in Florida that serves all children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN), regardless of insurance status and location. NICHQ will guide improvement teams to build their QI capacity to improve care delivery and patient outcomes for children and youth served. The structured approach of the LAN will promote peer learning and accelerate progress toward improvement in provision of care.
NICHQ will facilitate LAN goals through teaching and supporting the application of the Model for Improvement. Seven specialty Statewide Networks for Access and Quality will participate in the LAN and carry out QI projects at their local institutions.
Who
NICHQ is partnering with Florida Department of Health to support seven specific Statewide Networks for Access and Quality (SNAQs): kidney failure; craniofacial/cleft lip and palate; diabetes; hematology/oncology; HIV/AIDS; pulmonary; and behavioral health. These seven networks represent 30+ institutions across Florida.
Our Role
NICHQ leads the Learning and Action Network (LAN) and facilitates LAN goals through teaching and supporting the application of the Model for Improvement to increase quality improvement capacity of participating teams.
Funder
Florida Department of Health
Project Impact
Building the quality improvement capacity of specialty programs for Florida’s children
Project Impact
Building the quality improvement capacity of specialty programs for Florida’s children
The National Institute for Children’s Health Quality (NICHQ) led the Florida Children’s Medical Services Learning and Action Network (FLCMSLAN) to strengthen the quality improvement (QI) capacity of regional programs serving Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN). In Florida, approximately 19.6% of the state’s 4.2 million children—or roughly 820,000—are CYSHCN. Through the FLCMSLAN, thirty-two hospital-based teams came together with a shared goal to improve quality and access to care within the communities where families live. Participants in the FLCMSLAN aligned around the Got Transition™ Elements of Care with a focus on Readiness and Planning. This effort increased awareness and understanding of the transition process, provided a unified framework for action, and reduced the burden on individual teams to independently identify improvement projects and metrics. Over the course of the five-year initiative, FLCMSLAN participants collectively implemented 135 institutional QI projects and 35 systemwide (SNAQ-wide) QI projects. FLCMSLAN participants experienced significant growth in QI knowledge, with more than twice as many reporting advanced levels of understanding by the final year compared to the outset.
External Resources
State Perinatal Quality Collaboratives
List of PQCs funded by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The Power of PQCs
Video showing the impact that PQCs have on the communities they serve. Produced by the NNPQC.
PQCs in the News
Articles in news outlets covering state PQCs, their activities, and the people that work in the collaboratives.
Patient Safety Bundles
From the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health. PSBs are collections of evidence-informed best practices that address clinically specific conditions in pregnant and postpartum people. The NNPQC helps provide TA and support to PQCs in adopting the core AIM Perinatal Mental Health Bundle.
Perinatal Quality Collaboratives
The CDC’s landing page for PQCs, including helpful infographics, videos, and links to help explain what PQCs are, how they work, and stories, learnings, and publications that have come out of the state PQCs.
Meet Our Team
Sandra Widland, MPH
Project Director
Eliza Williamson
Associate Project Director
Kelly Edwards, MPH
Senior Project Manager
Aurora Basnet
Project Coordinator
Sue Butts-Dion
Improvement Advisor
