Local Organization To Hold Free Breakfast And Discussion For Health Care Providers

(York, Pa.) – Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) invites all local health care professionals to its Physician Clinician Learning Network (PCLN) breakfast on Wednesday, August 25, 2010. AF4Q is a group of South Central Pennsylvania area community leaders, consumers, physicians, nurses, employers and insurers who have come together with the common goal to improve health care quality.

The topic of this month’s PCLN breakfast is Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition. In addition to breakfast, a discussion will be lead by guest speaker, Mina Harkins from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Harkins is the Assistant Vice President of Physician Recognition Programs at the NCQA in Washington, D.C. She will discuss Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition and address questions any attendee may have.

Attendees will have the opportunity to network with other physicians and learn best practices. Also, they will participate in forums to share ideas about quality care, and work collectively with a goal to improve health care.

This will be the first of six discussions in the bimonthly series throughout the upcoming year. All physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and clinical leaders are invited to attend. Three attendees per practice may attend for free; any additional attendees are $20 each. The topics for the upcoming events are as follows (locations and times to be determined):

• October 2010- Meaningful Use - What does it mean for primary care?
• December 2010- How to “Lean” your practice and gain 30-60 extra minutes a day
• February 2011 - Improvement Collaboratives - “Why be involved in a collaborative? Local practices share their viewpoints and results”
• April 2011 - Self Management Support - It’s needed but how do I fit this into my already full day?
• June 2011 - Patient Satisfaction - “Patients see this as quality. How does it effect practice quality improvement?”

The AF4Q Physician Clinician Learning Network breakfast will be held on Wednesday, August 25, 2010 from 7:00 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. (registration is from 7-7:15) at the Hanover Country Club located at 200 East Water Street, Abbottstown, PA 17301. Contact Joyce Ortiz to R.S.V.P by calling 717-801-4830 or jortiz@wellspan.org by August 18.

For more information please visit www.aligning4healthpa.org or contact Christine Amy, AF4Q’s Project director, at 717-801-4823 or camy@wellspan.org, or Dr. Karen Jones, AF4Q’s Physician Champion, at kjones@wellspan.org.

About Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central Pennsylvania

Since its establishment in 1994, Healthy York County Coalition (HYCC) has worked to bring together stakeholders from across the community and to unite them in health and wellness efforts. Our Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central Pennsylvania initiative created in 2007, works to improve the care that individuals with chronic disease currently receive. For more information please visit www.aligning4healthpa.org.

About Aligning Forces for Quality

Aligning Forces for Quality, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) initiative, brings together those who get care, give care and pay for care to improve the quality of health care in entire communities. RWJF’s unprecedented commitment of resources, expertise and training is turning proven practices into real results in 15 communities, including Albuquerque, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Humboldt County (Calif.), Kansas City (Mo.), Maine, Memphis, Minnesota, Puget Sound (Wash.), South Central Pennsylvania, West Michigan, Western New York, Willamette Valley (Ore.) and Wisconsin. For more information, log onto www.rwjf.org/qualityequality.af4q.