DC Cancer Consortium

Susan G. Komen For the Cure-Continuum of Care Project

District of Columbia and Prince George’s County Maryland
Project Initiated July 2011.

Project Scope: The Grant Group successfully submitted an Grant which was awarded July 2011 to Conduct community collaborative discussions on the persistent level of Breast Cancer in the District of Columbia Wards 7 and 8, and Prince George’s County in Maryland. The Grant Group would also provide technical assistance to selected community based organizations (CBO) in the District of Columbia Wards 7 and 8, and Prince George’s County. The technical assistance will include conducting grant writing course skill development with the Community Based Organizations and conducting strategic planning with current SGK grantees and local government officials. Recommendations from the strategic planning sessions will result in new priorities for a special funding cycle generated as a result of the unsolicited proposal from The Grant Group.
The Grant Group Project description:

  • Select and recruit members for the collaborative discussion meetings.
  • Develop on-line survey assessment tools for the collaborative meetings and technical assistant courses to establish baseline knowledge levels.
  • Develop and conduct community marketing of the project with community organizations and local council members.
  • Develop strategic planning document outlining community recommendations for improving breast cancer screening and treatment.
  • Develop new funding cycle priority recommendations for Susan G. Komen for Wards 7 and 7 and Prince George’s County.
  • Conduct capacity building technical assistance courses to selected CBOs.
  • Recommend selected CBOs for the special funding cycle.

Montgomery County Department of Health

Montgomery County, Maryland
Project Completed June 2011.

Project Scope: The Grant Group received an unsolicited request to develop a comprehensive QA assessment and conduct baseline surveys of selected Montgomery County Community Health Centers. The survey results were presented with scorecard visuals and strategic recommendations for improvement.
The Grant Group Project description:

  • Develop QA assessment tool based on EPSDT standards, pediatric standards and Montgomery County contract requirements with the Community Health Centers.
  • Design survey tool and visual displays of data.
  • Conduct baseline surveys which included medical record reviews as well as key organizational policies and procedures and plans.
  • Develop comprehensive reports and visuals for final presentation of strategic recommendations.

Status of Palliative and End of Life Care Services in the District of Columbia

Study Completed 2010.    Presentation of Findings March 11, 2011

Project Scope: The DC Cancer Consortium (DCCC) receives grant making funds from the District of Columbia City Council. The Grant Group was awarded a contract to conduct a comprehensive survey of organizations that provided palliative and end of life services. These organizations were restricted to those with a physical office in the District. Interview tools were developed to complete this environmental scan. A comparison analysis report was developed as well as a access data base of all information collected.

The Grant Group Project description:

  • Comprehensive survey tool developed covering infrastructure of the organization, range of services provided; education/training/certifications of staff; reimbursement sources, barriers and challenges; and community involvement.
  • Utilized resource team of local and nationally recognized leaders in the palliative field assisted in the selection of organizations for interview. The survey tool and access data base were beta tested before implementation in the field.
  • Two-hour interviews were conducted on-site as well as via teleconference. Results were compiled into a comparison contrast analysis of major categories with visuals detailing gaps in organization infrastructure, education/training/certifications, revenue levels, and variables that either helped or hindered access to palliative and end of life services.
  • An access data base was developed with all information collected for future data queries by DCCC.
  • A formal presentation is scheduled for March 11, 2011 at the DC Cancer Consortium meeting. Additional collaboration on the survey model and findings is in process with C-Change, a non-profit that is promoting a national discussion on palliative care and the Center for the Advancement of Palliative Care (CAPC).

Individual Development Inc.

Quality Improvement Assessment and Organizational Development Project
Current, renewed x2 extending through 2011

Project Scope: Provide a comprehensive organization assessment including governance functions and develop a strategic plan with actionable steps to support organizational change to meet federal and local regulations for the Intellectual and Developmental Disabled residential population.

The Grant Group Project description:

  • Developed and conducted a comprehensive review of all operations and governance functions including medical services, nursing care, Habilitative treatment, training, human resource management in addition to compliance levels with federal and state regulations for IDD population.
  • Developed and implemented strategic plan with the Board’s approval to establish Senior Management leadership structure, competency based performance descriptions and evaluations; competency based orientation; revised operations policy and procedure manual and comprehensive tracking of compliance with all external reviews.
  • Provide coaching development for the Senior Managers in improving levels of performance and team building.

Provided consultation to the board chair on compliance strategies, organizational change management and risk factors.

Delmarva Foundation CMS Project

Current, contract renewed x3 extending into 2011

Project Scope: The Delmarva Foundation (DF), the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for Maryland and the District of Columbia, needed assistance recruiting and facilitating the performance of adult primary care practices for a new QIO three year Core Prevention Project.  The practices were to be divided into participating clinics receiving educational and technical support and a non-participating group as the control group. All practices were required to have electronic health records that had been certified by CCHIT. In addition, the EHR must have capability to retrieve required data points electronically. Both groups would submit data to CMS monthly on four clinical measures: mammography rates, colo-rectal screening rates, pneumococcal pneumonia vaccination rates, and influenza vaccination rates.

The Grant Group Project description:

  • Recruited safety net clinics in the District of Columbia to be non-participating and participating clinics.
  • Performed ongoing technical and educational support including a 2 hour web-based project tutorial for each participating clinic.
  • Met January 29th deadline completing education and recruitment for both categories of clinics.
  • Performed in person visits to all recruited clinics in Maryland and the District to review the project timelines and discuss any concerns on securing the structured data points.
  • Successfully secured signed participation agreements from each clinic for the 3 year project.
  • Conducted individual meetings with the clinics to review size of denominator and current documentation processes.
  • Met with IT staff at each site and the Medical Directors incorporating them into review process.
  • Secured agreement from participating clinics to implement care management processes using their certified EHR that include breast cancer; CRC screening; influenza and pneumococcal vaccination for at least 75% of their patients or patient encounters. In addition clinics agreed to provide practice identifiers including NPIs, UPIN(s), etc.
  • Submitted baseline and monthly data on time to CMS.
  • Continuing refinement of clinical preventive care interventions, reporting formats, availability of resources to improve screenings and vaccination rates.

Montgomery County Primary Care Coalition
Quality Assurance Design and Implementation Project

Current, contract renewed x3 extending into 2011

Project Scope: The Primary Care Coalition (PCC) was contracted by the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services to ensure compliance with Quality Assurance activities as outlined in Montgomery Cares Service Provider Agreements. The goal of the Quality Assurance Survey Design and Implementation project was to conduct quality assurance reviews assessing the compliance of the clinics with Montgomery Service Provider Agreements for 11 designated sites plus two homeless sites. The homeless organization had two (2) sites, a mobile van and headquarters which were surveyed with a separate tool.

The Grant Group Project description:

  • Utilized a comparison analysis table to select survey descriptors from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) standards, the Bureau of Primary Care Program (BPHC) Expectations, the Primary Care Effectiveness Review (PCER), Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) requirements, Department of Health requirements and the Office of Performance Review/Performance Review Protocol (OPR/PRP).
  • Designed the Quality Assessment survey tool and conducted assessments of the eleven clinics and two homeless sites.
  • Included “patient tracer methodology” in the site visit following one patient observing coordination of care during one visit.
  • Created dashboard displays of survey results and analysis for individual clinics and aggregate report for Montgomery County senior Health Department officials.
  • Delivered the final individual and aggregate reports which provided actionable information and recommendations that motivated and supported PCC and participating clinics in their efforts to provide high quality, patient-centered care.

Bailey’s Crossroad Health Care Access Project

Knit the Net Clinic Capacity Assessment Phase II-Contract completed July 2009

Project Scope: The Bailey’s Crossroads Health Access Project (BxHAP) proposed guiding a short-term project called: Knit the Net: Closing Gaps in Fairfax County’s Health Safety Net One Neighborhood at a Time. The primary goal for Phase II of Knit the Net was to assess the capacity of the Culmore Clinic, neighboring Federally Qualified Health Center-Alexandria Health Services, Inc. (ANSHI) and county run Bailey’s Health Center. The question being addressed was whether services should be extended from ANSHI and Bailey’s to the Culmore area to either support expanded Culmore Clinic services or absorb its patient base. The BxHAP initiated a six month strategic planning process to assess the clinical capacity of three area safety net clinics and the possibility of leveraging neighboring resources to meet the unmet need of the Culmore area. The Culmore area was being serviced by a start up mission based clinic open one day a week. Current patient demand had outpaced the one day a week service. The Culmore Clinic had reached the conclusion that it either needed to expand to meet capacity or risk not providing a true medical home to its patients.

The Grant Group Project Description:

  • Conducted the second phase of a community clinic capacity project in Bailey’s Crossroads, Falls Church Virginia.
  • Conducted a SWOT analysis with the Steering Committee for the Bailey’s area health group including Fairfax County Health Deputy Director and local religious community leaders.
  • Developed and conducted an organizational capacity survey based on the feedback from the steering committee.
  • The survey performance measures were drawn from the Bureau of Primary Health Care, Joint Commission Ambulatory standards and FQHC requirements.
  • Two site reviews conducted at the three clinics.
    • Conducted first site visit with the clinics as an initial get acquainted visit and preparation for the extensive interview process.
    • Reviewed the proposed survey content and process with Clinic Administrators whose input was incorporated into the final review survey approach.
    • Conducted the second site visit with extensive review of Administrative, Clinical and Financial systems including staff interviews and clinic tour.
    • Composed final report findings including research on census tracks, disease prevalence by zip code, incorporation of focus group reports from Phase I and patient demographics.
    • Composed the final report which followed an algorithm to either recommend extending resources for either both Bailey’s and ANSHI to extend services at Culmore Clinic or absorb the Culmore Clinic. The latter scenario would create an outreach post at the current site Culmore Clinic to gradually transfer patients to Bailey’s and ANSHI. Initiating a Promatora program was also recommended to help navigate the transition of Culmore Clinic patients to Bailey’s and ANSHI.

Homes for Hope, Inc.

Contracts completed July 2009 renewed x2

Residential HIV-AIDS Program
Project Scope: Homes for Hope, Inc. contracted The Grant Group to complete grant applications at the federal level, including research, composition, supporting documentation collection, editing and submission. Homes for Hope provides supportive housing to people living with chronic illness and homelessness; particularly, women and minorities affected by and living with HIV-AIDS in Ward 7 and 8.  As a non-profit organization serving homeless HIV clients in Washington, DC, Homes for Hope relies heavily on grant funding.

The Grant Group Project Description:

  • Researched subject matter for two HRSA National Library of Medicine grant opportunities: AIDS Community Outreach Project and Harm Reduction Grant Proposal.
  • Created project timeline for research, collection of all supporting documentation, draft review cycle, and final editing with checklist for submission.
  • Developed formal budgets for proposals which included securing pricing information on IT hardware and software.
  • Included an evaluation methodology and quality improvement process into both proposals.
  • Delivered final proposals complete and on time.