The first class in GNYHA's Leadership Development in Re-engineering Health Care Systems for Quality Outcomes program graduated on Jan. 23. As part of its commitment to advancing the field of quality and patient safety, GNYHA worked with Baruch College to develop a program that integrates engineering skills with redesigning health care systems. The goal was to highlight the relationship between system re-engineering and improving quality, patient safety, workflow, and, ultimately, patient outcomes.      

Twenty-five students graduated from the 16-week program, which included case studies in system failure and success, the application of engineering concepts and data to improve systems, workflow and systems to improve outcomes, presentation techniques, and the impact of regulation on quality improvement programs. In one class, for example, students used simulations and role-playing to learn how to minimize wait time in the emergency room (ER) while managing their own patient care unit or department. The students learned that change can occur by sharing information and improving communication. More important, the class underscored the fact that each department or patient care unit has a major role in moving the patient safely from the ER to the inpatient bed, and in patient safety in general.

Goals and Curriculum: GNYHA had asked Baruch to develop the program in response to members' concerns about the need for all hospital professionals to be educated in driving organizational and systems change. Over the past year and a half, GNYHA staff have worked with members to identify the challenges faced by health care systems with regard to quality, patient safety, and system redesign; the related educational needs of their staff; and the core course requirements for meeting those needs. Graduates of the program gain the skills needed to address such concerns, including the collection, interpretation, and presentation of data; process redesign; team structuring; and strategies to communicate and sustain improvements. The graduates are expected to implement a capstone project at their respective hospitals and to have an expanded role in infusing a culture of quality throughout their organizations.      

If you have any suggestions or questions about the program, please contact Terri Straub at GNYHA.