Providing improvement collaborative project teams with a unique opportunity to learn alongside other organizations while simultaneously solving the same problem.
I learned to look beyond my own silo and engage with my team members in radiology as well as across the institution. The other sites were also a terrific and inspiring resource for best practices.
The ACR® ImPower Program allows teams to collaborate and support one another in implementing sustainable best practices at each local site. ImPower was developed on the premise that when frontline staff are taught and empowered to solve problems, the solutions are more comprehensive, staff become champions of change and organizational improvement capabilities expand.
ImPower cohorts are offered twice a year, beginning in March and September. The program duration is six months for the entire team and eight months for individuals in the roles of physician leader, team leader and quality improvement coach.
There are three critical commitments to successfully participate in ImPower:
The core project team consists of a project sponsor, physician leader, team leader, quality improvement coach and team members. It is optional to include a data analyst, as needed, if the team leader or quality improvement coach cannot access data from across departmental systems.
All quality improvement coaches attend five training sessions, each designed to strengthen their skills in facilitating quality improvement. The topics cover: how to lead improvement, develop measures, visualize data, manage teams and projects, mitigate barriers and create a culture of change.
Optionally, quality improvement coaches can join quality improvement application meetings, which take place the day after each learning session.
During these meetings, an ImPower quality improvement leader provides more guidance on the application of quality improvement tools and upcoming assignments.
Team members participate in 10 two-hour long learning sessions spread throughout the course of ImPower. The objectives of each learning session include:
In between learning sessions, participants engage in regular project report out sessions called "Walk the Wall". During these sessions, teams present progress, discuss challenges, consider solutions and learn from one another. Progress is acknowledged and tracked using a project progress scale, which shows a team's advancement towards established improvement milestones.
Organizations can bring a single project through one of the ImPower improvement collaboratives for a fee of $6,000. Every third project will be discounted at a rate of $3,000.
Working with the ACR helped us develop a new philosophy of problem solving for our team and gave us the tools we needed to meet our unique challenges and improve our ability to serve our patients. The guidance and support they provided us were invaluable, and working with other healthcare systems provided us with a community of support.
Weāre here to help your team succeed.Ā Please reach out with any questions to the ACR Learning Network team.
