Page 32 - Christiana Care Focus June July 2018

Medical Education | Portfolioprogram CONTINUED
of quality improvement, such as safety, efficiency and effectiveness. The program is
Tthe only one of its kind in Delaware.
oday, before designing a quality improvement project, physicians can consult with the Multi- Specialty Portfolio Program to
make sure a potential investigation has
the necessary data-driven protocols for maintenance of certification, said T. Sheron Smith, MHA, LNHA, PCMH, CCE, director, Continuing Medical Education and Physician Professional Development. She
is one of 10 members of a multidisciplinary committee from various service lines within Christiana Care that oversee the Portfolio Program.
Smith also is part of a committee working group that reviews maintenance of certification applications and consults with physicians on how to improve their projects prior to formal submission. Other working group members are Loretta Consiglio- Ward, MSN, RN, education specialist, Quality and Safety, Institute for Learning, Leadership and Development (iLEAD); and Portfolio Program Committee Chair Robert Dressler, M.D., MBA, quality and safety officer, Academic and Medical Affairs.
“Over the last several years Christiana
Care has increasingly asked clinicians to give their time for process improvements across the organization,” said Dr. Dressler. “One way that we can be supportive of these essential efforts to create more innovative, effective and affordable systems of care is to be active partners in the maintenance of certification process.”
Using the Multi-Specialty Portfolio Program
The American Board of Medical Specialties’ Multi-Specialty Portfolio Program, sponsored by Christiana Care, streamlines Part 4 of Maintenance of Certification dealing with the requirement to submit a quality improvement effort application.
In planning a submission, physicians can contact the Portfolio Program
Committee’s working group for advice
on project selection, data collection and other matrices. A physician must have participated in an approved quality improvement effort and have satisfied
all of the participation requirements. An attestation must also be “cosigned” (an electronic form is provided for this purpose) by the project leader.
For maintenance of certification renewals due in December 2018, the working group will take electronic submissions until November. Once data has been properly collected by a physician, forms are filled out and the project is submitted via the
Christiana Care portal. At that time, the working group reviews the application and asks a physician for additional information, if needed. When all data is supplied, the completed forms are shared with the entire 10-member committee for final approval. The whole submission effort typically takes 30 days when all the forms are complete. 
Cem Soykan, M.D., pediatric hospitalist and director of medical education in the Women’s and Children’s Service Line, was able to submit his neonatal improvement project to the American Board of Medical Specialties to fulfill his Maintenance of Certification status. Dr. Soykan is pictured here with Lisa Evans, RN, at Christiana Hospital’s pediatric unit.
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