The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Portfolio Program has contributed significantly to sponsoring institutions' quality and safety culture. Joel Tieder, MD, MPH, with Seattle Children's Hospital's Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program, says sponsorship "has become a catalyst to engage physicians in QI [quality improvement] work." Doctors who enroll in a QI initiative tend to participate more. University of Rochester Associate Quality Officer Patricia Reagan Webster, PhD, adds that QI offers physicians continuing certification credit that subsequently helps them improve patient care, avoid burnout and foster a healthy work/life balance. "For those who get more QI training, there is a sense of rejuvenation and purpose that brings new meaning to their work," notes John Stoeckle, MD, CHQS, Associate Medical Director of Population Health, Valley Preferred-Lehigh Valley Health Network, in Allentown, Pa. Reagan Webster adds that sponsorship strengthens a quality mindset in physicians that extends beyond QI. Sponsorship also encourages closer ties between the QI department, the continuing medical education (CME)/continuing professional development (CPD) office, credentialing and information technology (IT). Seattle Children's MOC Program, for instance, coordinates with medical personnel to specify physicians' continuing certification and CME needs and acquires meaningful measures for QI projects via IT. Sponsors can also use the Portfolio Program's online Sponsor Central tool that supports dialogues and document sharing. Program staff have devised templates for QI activities associated with COVID-19, health disparities, opioids, telehealth and revised requirements to increase flexibility and innovation. Donna Ray, MD, with South Carolina-based Prisma Health's Office of CPD and Strategic Affairs, says the Portfolio Program is a sensible investment. "Healthcare professionals are doing the work; we are here to make sure they earn the continuing certification credit appropriate to their efforts," she notes.
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