Dear AHI Member,

We would like to share with you the highlights from the April board meeting and results from the survey. The minutes are available to members at the website A4HI.org

April Highlights: On Setting Priorities

• Web. Our key priority is development of the AHI Web Site that connects members and promotes a member driven organization. Hear Ye - Call for Content, Features, and Member Involvement.
• Position. The niche and strength of AHI is Knowledge Translation, bringing researchers and educators on science of quality improvement together with the practitioners who implement quality improvement.
• Networking. AHI can and should promote QI research and education networking at forums and meetings and formation of local chapters and nodes.
• Politics. AHI can help promote a political forum that considers the opportunities for influencing healthcare reform toward quality improvement and patient safety implementation and initiatives.

Survey Results

1. The mission statements for AHI are shown above. Are the statements clear and relevant? What revisions would you make? Do you have statements we should consider?

Clear and Relevant	13
Need to consolidate, focus	7
Too Ambitious	1
More Practical, Operational	2
Emphasize Interdisciplinary	2

 

Action: We will keep Mission Statements but will write a clear, focused Vision Statement.

2. How should AHI differentiate itself form other professional societies? Does it have a niche?

The niche is scientific basis and knowledge transfer for QI Health Professions Education and Research.

• Hub for Research Methods on QI
• Develop and align activities with the mission statements
• Bring academic work into the daily work of clinical quality improvement

Needs to separate itself from IHI and coordinate with Academy Health and other Societies.

• Focus on next generation of educators and leaders and their career pathways
• Identify and work with a few key organizations that align with the AH mission.
• There are many professional organizations and quality organizations, what is the difference?

3. What should AHI be doing to make a difference? What should be our priorities? Focus?

Develop Capacity.

• Ideas and curriculum for health professions education in healthcare improvement.
• Actively engaged in promoting, strengthening, and supporting the field through a broad portfolio of activities.
• Relentless pursuit of and advocate for scientific means to advance quality improvement in healthcare.
• Develop and spread forum, agenda, and venue for presentation of education programs and research work.

Visibility.

• Open and member-driven organization.
• Interdisciplinary, team-based.
• Developing a credible & prominent voice for change
• ABIM Board recognition as a specialty

4. What can AHI do for you? What are you looking for from AHI? What would make AHI more attractive? Relevant?

Network and Connections for Scholarly Pursuit

• Forum of rigorous review of research papers, educational programs and quality improvement projects, work in progress or draft papers.
• Conference calls on topics of interest
• Resource to latest information and best scientific methods

Involvement

• Help define how professionals with shared interests can become involved and what they can do.
• International visibility and involvement.
• AHI should become a contributor at meetings and university programs.

5. Have you visited the AHI website? What would you like on the web site? What would be some website priorities?

• Develop or link to resources.
• Tools. Connection to other members. Resource clearinghouse.
• Dynamic, continuously active.
• AHI activities and calendar of events.

6. What message do you have for us? What questions do you have? Any comments?

• Convince me.
• Considerable potential, needs to expand beyond the Scientific Symposium.
• Emerging field.
• Need to create a more active forum on regular basis through email, internet, and other programs (media? IPod iTunes Univ?, conferences, education opportunities?)
• Focus, clarity, purpose.

Cheers,

Ted Speroff, Ph.D.
Center for Health Services Research
GRECC/HSR 4th Floor
VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System
1310 24th Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37212

phone (615) 340-2357 (VA office)
cell (615) 554-1258
FAX (615) 327-5381
e-mail: ted.speroff@vanderbilt.edu; ted.speroff@med.va.gov