Commitment to Quality...

Each interaction in the care of anesthesia patients is interrelated to quality.    A dedication to quality permeates the entire FOAA Anesthesia Services' practice.  It is a part of the culture brought to the facilities served by FOAA.

The AHRQ’s Guide to Healthcare Quality defines healthcare quality as follows:

*Doing the right things (getting the health care services you need)

*At the right time (when you need them)

*In the right way (using the appropriate test or procedure)

*To achieve the best possible results

FOAA’s quality in the patient care experience relates to the full range of anesthesia services:  the high-risk ASA 4 cardiovascular patient, the regional anesthetic for the patient having joint surgery, the elective outpatient surgical patient having a general anesthetic, the epidural analgesia for the laboring mother, the Propofol™ sedation procedure and monitored anesthesia care. 

FOAA recognizes that the pursuit of quality is dynamic   “If better is possible, then good is not enough.”     

Anesthesia care practices continue to advance with new technologies and new processes leading to greater patient safety and quicker outcomes. The FOAA team is increasingly using regional anesthesia techniques with ultrasound guidance, when appropriate, to improve pain control and rapid recovery. FOAA is involved in incorporating processes, such as crew resource management, to improve communication, safety and readiness with the whole surgical patient care team.  FOAA’s Practice Quality Council (PQC) integrates the Quality Improvement Planning, and supports each anesthesia department in the fulfilling standards for accreditation (TJC/AAAHC).

With the advantage of many professionals, FOAA possesses a high level of quality data monitoring and benchmarking in order to “measure what we treasure”. 

FOAA uses an extensive and progressive approach to quality management and improvement throughout our anesthesia practice.  Components of the QI program include:

• Quality data collection processes, through EMR and scantron forms
• Quality benchmarking, to include comparisons made by a national patient safety organization with over 1.5 million data points
• Active QI programs at each anesthesiology department, with an on-site quality director
• Shared resources for incorporating the latest advances, educational tools, and shared information, as appropriate
• Online intranet (for FOAA staff) to include a HIPAA-compliant “quality blog”, and other links/materials

The FOAA Practice-wide Quality Council (PQC) to:

• Promote impartiality of the quality evaluation processes
• Exchange quality improvement activities
• Advance the latest information about process and technology improvements
• Share resources for quality education and policy-making
• Mentor good relationships to promote the FOAA culture of “the constant pursuit of quality anesthesia care”

Metrics for performance improvement for each and every FOAA staff member:

• Ongoing professional performance tracking / regular feedback
• Peer-2-Peer survey processes
• 360 degree feedback for anesthesia leaders
• Surgeon satisfaction surveys
• Patient satisfaction surveys
• Formal “How are we doing?” survey organization-wide (methodology received from the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, NIST)

Active risk management program.

Educational seminars, M&M conferences, and other programs developed by FOAA staff are ongoing for CME and CEUs.

FOAA Anesthesia Services is proud to be a member of the Anesthesia Business Group.

ABG was conceptualized in 2001 by many of the largest anesthesia practices in the United States as an executive discussion forum to generate ideas and business principles that would help these practices enhance their strategic and operational success.  As it evolved, it was formally incorporated in 2003 and has grown to include subsidiary entities which are dedicated to the improvement of quality anesthesia care through the use of data and metrics.  Today, ABG continues its forum structure strengthened by the participation of physician executives and physician leaders of the partner practices in collaboration with the senior executives of the practices.