Department of Medicine - Surgery - University of Minnesota

UMPhysicians: Clinical Programsimproving quality of care12Bobbi S. Daniels, M.D.Vice Chair for Clinical AffairsOutstanding clinical care is integral to the identity andfunction of the Department of Medicine. Clinical care is the basisfor our educational programs, and inspires and informs our research— bothclinical and basic science. Continued focus on both clinical quality and service,coupled with increased emphasis on the visibility of clinicians, has been a priorityduring this year.Recognizing the variety of different types and locations of care, ranging fromprimary care in an ambulatory setting to the most highly complex care of criticallyill patients, the department has embarked on a multi-pronged approachto improving the clinical care that we deliver. While some efforts are broad andinvolve significant partnerships with the University of Minnesota Medical Center(UMMC), some efforts are unique to specific programs or even specific diseases.As an example, The Department is participating in the AAMC/IHI AmbulatoryCare Collaborative under the leadership of Brian Sick, M.D., Division of GeneralMedicine. We are implementing The Chronic Care Model, a patient-centric modeldesigned to provide patients with the information and tools they need to managetheir own chronic diseases. Our initial efforts are focused on diabetes in ourPrimary Care Center, and significant improvements in both outcomes for patientsas well as the ease with which our faculty can help patients with improving carehave been realized. Our ultimate goal is to provide all patients throughout theUniversity of Minnesota Medical Center with access to the necessary patientcenteredresources for all types of chronic disease management. For our mostcomplicated patients, who often have more than one chronic disease, empoweringthe patients and providing appropriate system-based infrastructure is recognizedas the most important step. Involvement of trainees in developing and practicingthis model is an important part of our educational mission as well.