News and Events
Ed Wagner talks about The Medical Neighborhood
"The Medical Neighborhood: What is beginning to work, and what isn't" traces the last 25 years of the MacColl Center for Health Care Innovation's work in primary care quality improvement, and leaves us with recommendations for moving forward. This was MacColl Center Director (Emeritus) Ed Wagner;s last seminar before his retirement in June 2017. (June 29, 2017 Seattle WA.)
Farewell from Ed Wagner as he retires
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I am writing to let you know that In June 2017 I will be retiring from Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute's MacColl Center for Health Care Innovation.
Study protocol for “Healthy Hearts Northwest”: a 2 × 2 randomized factorial trial to build quality improvement capacity in primary care
This Implementation Science paper describes the protocol of our Healthy Hearts Northwest, a randomized trial designed to address the comparative effectiveness of combined strategies to build quality improvement (QI) capacity while improving risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
5 principles for making measurement more patient-centered
Effective measurement is key to better care, better health, and lower costs across the health care system. In a high-performing system, it drives progress towards safe, effective, efficient, timely, equitable, and patient-centered care. Measurement helps identify areas for improvement, evaluates what works, promotes accountability, and informs how health care is paid for.
Taking Action on Overuse Framework and Change Package
We have a new resource for health care organizations working to reduce low-value care. Our Taking Action on Overuse Framework and Change Package offer a roadmap to reduce the unnecessary diagnostic tests, treatments, and hospitalizations that can drive up costs and sometimes result in patient harm. The Framework identifies evidence-based strategies for obtaining buy-in, motivating behavior changes, and providing the necessary support and infrastructure for health care providers to engage and lead their peers in making the changes that improve the value of health care.
What we're reading
I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life, by Ed Yong. Penguin / Random House, New York 2016, ISBN-10: 1476709645.
Addressing the Opioid Epidemic in Rural Washington and Idaho
The opioid crisis touches all sectors of America’s patient population — especially underserved patients like agricultural workers in rural areas. In Washington and Idaho, six rural health clinics representing over 20 sites are working to ensure their policies, workflow, and clinical visits are aligned and implemented to address the crisis that has swept the nation.
Honoring Ed Wagner’s influence on primary care
On November 9th, MacColl Center founder and Emeritus Director Ed Wagner received the 2016 Primary Care Community/Research Leadership Award from the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative at its 10th anniversary celebration in Washington, DC.
Study protocol for Healthy Hearts Northwest
Little attention has been paid to quality improvement (QI) capacity within smaller primary care practices which comprise nearly half of all primary care settings. Strategies for external support to build such capacity include practice facilitation (PF), shared learning opportunities, and educational outreach. Although PF has proven effectiveness, little is known about the comparative effectiveness of combining these strategies.
Cara C. Lewis wins 2016 ABCT President's New Researcher Award
Our colleague Cara C. Lewis Ph.D. has been selected to receive the 2016 President's New Researcher Award by the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.
The award is based upon an early program of research that reflects factors such as: consistency with the mission of ABCT; independent work published in high-impact journals; and promise of developing theoretical or practical applications that represent clear advances to the field.