BACKGROUND: The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) pioneered the Breakthrough Series (BTS), a short-term improvement project that convenes, in three face-to-face meetings, hospital or clinic teams to make rapid, significant improvement. A distance-learning (virtual) version of the BTS-a VBTS-was conducted. METHODS: A model VBTS was tested with 20 organizations, using a well-established topic: improving access and efficiency in primary care. This VBTS took place by Internet and telephone, using Web-based collaboration software and audioconferencing. RESULTS: For the 17 organizations completing the VBTS, the average number of days to third-next-available appointment fell from 23 to 10 days (July 2004-June 2005). The Improvement Assessment Scale showed 59% of teams at level 4 or above ("significant" improvement, with most changes implemented, and evidence of sustained improvement in outcomes and plans for spread). Potential direct cost savings were about $12,000 as compared with a traditional collaborative. Six months after the VBTS's conclusion, 70% of the teams that achieved significant improvement either maintained gains or improved their results. DISCUSSION: Outcomes in a VBTS are potentially comparable to those in a traditional collaborative, at substantially lower cost. Prerequisites for success include senior leadership's involvement, team members' ability to participate, and information technology support.
BACKGROUND: The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) pioneered the Breakthrough Series (BTS), a short-term improvement project that convenes, in three face-to-face meetings, hospital or clinic teams to make rapid, significant improvement. A distance-learning (virtual) version of the BTS-a VBTS-was conducted. METHODS: A model VBTS was tested with 20 organizations, using a well-established topic: improving access and efficiency in primary care. This VBTS took place by Internet and telephone, using Web-based collaboration software and audioconferencing. RESULTS: For the 17 organizations completing the VBTS, the average number of days to third-next-available appointment fell from 23 to 10 days (July 2004-June 2005). The Improvement Assessment Scale showed 59% of teams at level 4 or above ("significant" improvement, with most changes implemented, and evidence of sustained improvement in outcomes and plans for spread). Potential direct cost savings were about $12,000 as compared with a traditional collaborative. Six months after the VBTS's conclusion, 70% of the teams that achieved significant improvement either maintained gains or improved their results. DISCUSSION: Outcomes in a VBTS are potentially comparable to those in a traditional collaborative, at substantially lower cost. Prerequisites for success include senior leadership's involvement, team members' ability to participate, and information technology support.
Authors: Jeff Luck; Candice Bowman; Laura York; Amanda Midboe; Thomas Taylor; Randall Gale; Steven Asch Journal: J Gen Intern Med Date: 2014-07 Impact factor: 5.128
Authors: Sanjay Saint; Russell N Olmsted; Mohamad G Fakih; Christine P Kowalski; Sam R Watson; Anne E Sales; Sarah L Krein Journal: Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf Date: 2009-09
Authors: Andrew J Zimolzak; Umber Shahid; Traber D Giardina; Sahar A Memon; Umair Mushtaq; Lisa Zubkoff; Daniel R Murphy; Andrea Bradford; Hardeep Singh Journal: J Gen Intern Med Date: 2021-04-27 Impact factor: 5.128