News & Meetings

The ACP Colorado Chapter has been an integral part of the IPIP initiative and now begins the time for practices to benefit from our efforts. Please review the announcement below and, if appropriate, consider applying to be a participating practice.

Frederic B. Walker IV MD FACP Governor, Colorado Chapter

Dave Downs MD FACP Chair, Health and Public Policy Committee

Now Accepting Applications for New Quality Improvement Initiative, Improving Performance in Practice (IPIP)

Colorado was selected as one of two states in the country to pilot a physician-driven initiative called "Improving Performance in Practice" (IPIP), created through the American Board of Medical Specialties and the boards and professional societies of Family Medicine, Internal medicine and Pediatrics, to restructure and improve healthcare delivery. IPIP incorporates quality improvement process and measures, collaborative networks and use of technology; participation will qualify towards credit of maintenance of certification with the 3 boards.

IPIP will be led locally by the Colorado Clinical Guidelines Collaborative (CCGC), a unique nonprofit organization that has brought together multiple stakeholders throughout the health care system to implement clinical guidelines and improve healthcare in Colorado. Practices that participate in IPIP will work with Quality Improvement (QI) Coaches who will offer in office consultation in addition to multiple tools and resources to promote practice redesign and improve care, efficiency and satisfaction for providers and patients. Support includes consultation on patient registry and data collection, work flow issues (Lean Training), open access scheduling, group visits, Planned Care Model, and other techniques. Although practices will initially focus on specific conditions such as diabetes and/ or asthma the process will easily translate to improvements in other,conditions, as well as greatly enhance general management of practice operations.

In a similar effort to redesign healthcare delivery, the Department of Family Medicine at UCHSC is launching a project focusing on diabetes. The project is comparable to the IPIP initiative, offering facilitated in-office consultation and similar practice and professional benefits. In order to take advantage of this great opportunity to share lessons learned and expand the number of practices that will benefit from in-office consultation, CCGC and the Department of Family Medicine will be aligning efforts. Practices that apply through IPIP will be selected for one of 3 groups:

  • Group 1: Coached Practice Redesign – lead by CCGC and focusing initially on diabetes and/or asthma then spreading to other conditions.
  • Group 2: Facilitated Diabetes Improvement – lead by UCHSC and focusing on diabetes.
  • Group 3: Self-directed Practice Redesign - with initial full access to the tools used in the project, followed by coaching at a later date.

After 18 months, all practices in Groups 2 and 3 will be eligible to continue practice redesign activities with CCGC if they so desire.

Physicians interested in participating in IPIP may apply on line or obtain more information on the CCGC Web site or contact Allyson Gottsman at 720-297-1681 or agottsman@coloradoguidelines.org


Page updated: 11/30/06