The University of Utah Hospital is one of 19 transplant hospitals nationwide and the only hospital in Utah named to participate in the COIIN (Collaborative Innovation and Improvement Network) pilot program, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced.
The three-year project is intended to increase kidney utilization and study new methods of quality monitoring. Another key aim of the COIIN project is testing potential improvements to the program performance review process.
"The hospitals participating in the pilot program have had success using kidneys that are not accepted as often by other transplant programs across the country," said David Klassen, M.D., chair of the COIIN Advisory Council and UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) chief medical officer. "The practices they have found to be effective can be shared with others to increase the number of transplants nationwide."
During the study, participants will be exempt from the traditional review of patient and kidney graft survival performed by the OPTN Membership and Professional Standards Committee (MPSC). They will participate in an alternative, collaborative quality improvement framework to drive improvements in organ offer and acceptance, waitlist management and care coordination.
Each pilot hospital will create and test improvement aims during successive rapid improvement cycles and can share lessons learned with other study participants on an interactive, virtual learning site. Hospitals can also monitor their improvement in key measures including outcomes, processes, relationships and structures.
For more information about COIIN, contact Kristen Sisaithong, performance improvement lead, (804) 782-2960 or Kristen.Sisaithong@unos.org.