eAlert Mon, 01/07/2008 - 12:00 57e934fb-ffaf-4bb8-84d8-d74ee5ece81c

The Commonwealth Fund and AcademyHealth are pleased to announce the launch of the State Quality Improvement Institute (Quality Institute), which will help eight selected states improve the quality of their health care systems.

The primary goals of the Quality Institute are to:

Provide customized support to states that are seriously considering substantial quality improvement efforts; Assess current challenges facing individual states; Identify appropriate diagnostic and implementation tools, analyze possible approaches and consider policy tradeoffs, and revise or refine current state-specific plans; and Allow state participants the opportunity to network and discuss their own experiences and best practices.

The Quality Institute will begin in June 2008 with an intensive kick-off meeting where states will participate in a highly interactive, team-based process for developing policy and program recommendations. After the meeting, states will have an opportunity to participate in ongoing technical assistance activities.

Applications for the 2008 Quality Institute must be submitted by the Governor's Office, or its designee, within one of the 50 states or the Mayor of Washington, D.C., or his designee. The Quality Institute application deadline is February 15, 2008.

To learn more about the Quality Institute and how to apply, please review the Quality Institute Call for Proposals at www.academyhealth.org/state-qi-institute. An informational conference call will be held January 22 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST. AcademyHealth and Commonwealth Fund staff will provide an overview of the program and answer questions. For additional information, contact Hilary Kennedy at [email protected].

http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletters/ealerts/2008/jan/participate-in-a-state-quality-improvement-institute