HIVQUAL-US  »  About  »  Background & Philosophy

Program Background and Philosophy

What Is HIVQUAL?

Ø A model for building capacity for quality management that is designed to improve care for people
 living with HIV/AIDS developed by the NY State Department of Health AIDS Institute in partnership
 with HRSA/HAB.

Ø A program that consists of three key elements:

  • ·         Quality Improvement
  • ·         Performance Measurement
  • ·         Infrastructure and capacity building which serves as a foundation for the Quality Management
         Program


What Are The HIVQUAL Methods?

·      Coaching: On-site mentoring that emphasizes structure, planning and QI projects,
supplemented by training workshops.

·      Performance Measurement: Facility-level data are collected and used to improve care
in participating clinics; data are aggregated to produce national benchmarking reports.

·      Implementation: QI projects focus on improvement of selected aspects of ambulatory
care through process investigation and small tests of change.

·      Peer Learning: Regional groups are created for providers and facilities to share experiences
and facilitate coordination of quality improvement work.


Why HIVQUAL?

Benefits for the health care organization: 

·      Receive individualized consultation focused on organization-specific issues 
(For more information, please visit our resources page at NQC)

·      Meet quality management legislative requirements

·      Apply framework and mechanism for collecting and analyzing facility-based data focused
on key indicators (For more information, please visit our resources page at NQC)

·      Build capacity to support clinical data collection and analysis at the clinic level

·      Build systems that improve processes linked to desired outcomes

·      Enhance understanding of how the system or organization is performing

·      Explore potential cost savings realized through change

·      Enhance organizational-assessment capabilities

·      Create sustainable quality management programs

·      Showcase results on local, regional and/or national level

·      Explore quality improvement strategies at a regional level through regional quality
improvement groups and peer learning strategies (For more information on regional groups,
please click here).


Benefits for staff:

·      Expand knowledge and build skills through the use of QI tools and methodology

·      Enhance satisfaction through role as change agent

·      Interface and network with peers in nearby facilities through regional quality improvement
groups.


Benefits for the patients:

·      Improve service delivery

·      Improve quality of life

·      Engage in processes of change