AHA moves to organize leaders in healthcare quality

The American Hospital Association is aiming to be one of the key groups that will fill the need for healthcare improvement professionals from different organizations to collaborate and share best practices.

On Monday, the Chicago-based AHA announced the launch a new forum it is calling the Symposium for Leaders in Healthcare Quality (SLHQ). It is designed to be a resource for more than just hospitals, the AHA’s traditional membership. Rather, SLHQ is meant to be a forum for leadership and front-line caregivers “across the care continuum, including in hospitals, long-term care facilities, ambulatory care centers and other care delivery settings,” the AHA announcement noted.

In broadening its focus beyond hospitals, the new forum may cross over into areas other initiatives are looking at, including the American Medical Association’s strategic focus on improving health outcomes, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center. However, the AHA promises to bring a unique expertise and perspective to the field of healthcare quality and safety improvement.

“Quality improvement is a main focus for hospitals and health care systems,” stated Rich Umbdenstock, AHA president and CEO, in the announcement. “America’s hospitals are committed to building on the improvements they have already made by engaging in both national initiatives and individual improvement efforts. SLHQ gives them a network through which they can collaborate and share best practices.”

Members of SLHQ will have access to “cutting-edge research and education, innovative professional development opportunities and a robust peer-to-peer learning network,” the AHA promised. The forum will be managed by the AHA’s Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET) and build on the HRET’s current national quality improvement projects, including the Hospital Engagement Network, the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP) and TeamSTEPPS.