Improving Processes for Primary Care Assessment and Referral to Specialty Care

To assess possible areas of improvement, you will complete an assessment that asks to what extent you or your practice:

• implements a standardized process for assessing asthma control
• introduces processes to identify factors that may be contributing to asthma symptoms and exacerbations
• identifies a specialist for referral of patients with severe and/or uncontrolled asthma
• establishes a process for addressing gaps in the specialty loop
• establishes a process for comanagement of uncontrolled and/or severe asthma with a specialist

You will receive a report card that summarizes your or your practice’s performance relative to areas assessed. This serves as your baseline and guides development of your personalized action items.

Working with our expert faculty, we followed a Model for Improvement that outlines the aims of this program and its measures of success. We provide educational and practical interventions, but you can develop your own to meet your specific needs. Depending on your baseline assessment, interventions you can implement include:

• Enhanced training
• Integration of processes within your EMR
• Communication strategies
• Personalized action items to track based on the nuanced needs of your practice
• Patient education

Once you’ve finished the interventions and have introduced the recommended process changes, it’s time to put them to the test!

• Return to this digital QI portal after a minimum of 30 days
• Re-assess your action plan to see what improvements were realized
• Complete a personal reflection
• Get your certificate

We recommend you share these findings with key stakeholders in your organization to reflect on ongoing improvements and/or future opportunities.