What does Improving Health and Healthcare (IHHC) do and how does it help Emory physicians get ABMS IHHC?
As an American Board of Medical Specialties IHHC Portfolio Program Sponsor, Emory University School of Medicine IHHC works with participating ABMS Member Boards to grant IHHC credit to Emory physicians who actively participate and successfully complete approved quality improvement efforts. IHHC provides a process for formal review of QI projects to ensure they comply with ABMS standards, reports approved IHHC projects to ABMS specialty boards, and upon completion of projects, reports individual physician participation to specialty boards for awarding IHHC credit. IHHC permits teams of physicians from multiple specialties to work together along with other health professionals to obtain IHHC credit from their individual ABMS specialty board. It also ensures that the IHHC projects align with Emory institutional Quality Improvement goals. Who is eligible to participate in IHHC?
Any Emory School of Medicine faculty physician can participate in IHHC. It is each physician’s responsibility to verify that they are enrolled to participate in their ABMS Board’s IHHC program and are eligible to receive IHHC credit from their certifying Board(s).
How do I get started?
An Emory SOM faculty physician can begin by identifying a new IHHC project they would like to undertake. Please see previous examples of IHHC projects that have received IHHC Credit in the past. For a new project, the physician should work with a QI expert in their department, clinical service line, or facility to design the project, to ensure that there will be sufficient resources, including collection of data, to confirm that the project aligns with Emory IHHC goals. Dr. Holly Gooding, Executive Director, Continuing Medical Education, will review all new IHHC project applications, a process that takes approximately 3 to 4 weeks.
To become a member of the team working on an on-going IHHC approved project, the physician should contact the lead for the QI effort to determine if there is an opportunity for additional participation.
Are there ongoing IHHC projects that I can join?
Please check with Shirley Miller for any ongoing IHHC projects/activities.
If a IHHC project is already underway or is ongoing, can I still apply for IHHC credit through IHHC?
Yes, however, you must contact the project leader to be included in the project/activity and complete an Attestation form for participation.
What are the responsibilities of a Project Leader?
- Please review documents for program requirements.
- Ensuring that the project design meets IHHC requirements.
- Determining if the project is research and, if so, obtaining appropriate IRB approval.
- Completing and submitting a New QI Activity/Project form.
Once the project has been approved, the Project Leader is responsible for:
- Tracking and monitoring physician participation to ensure that the meaningful participation standards are met for each participating physician.
- Ensuring that participating physicians have access to data reports on a regular basis.
- Upon completion of the project, attesting for physician participants by completing the Physician Attestation form and handling any disputes that arise in the attestation process.
- Sending physician completion data to Shirley Miller.
- Completing reports associated with project approval, including bi-annual reports that will be reviewed by IHHC leadership, a final report at the close of a project, and an annual report (if requested by ABMS).
- Providing project documentation to IHHC, including methods, results, and physician participation
How do I claim IHHC credit once a project is completed?
Once a QI project has met the IHHC completion requirements, the Project Leader should submit the Physician Attestation form to Shirley Miller. It is the responsibility of each physician to provide IHHC with their correct identification information such as NPI Number, ABMS Member Board ID Number, and Date of Birth, so that IHHC can accurately report to the specialty boards. Any inaccurate information will delay IHHC credit being received.
What ABMS Boards are participating in this program?
Learn more at the Boards page.
If I need IHHC credit this year, is it too late to get started?
Project Application forms may be submitted at any time; however, forms must be submitted by November 1 of the current year in order for IHHC QI to review your project and report the project to ABMS. Upon completion of the project, Physician Attestation Form must be submitted by December 1 for participating physicians to get credit from their ABMS specialty board for the current calendar year.
Who do I contact with questions about IHHC?
Questions regarding IHHC can be sent to Shirley L. Miller.