Engagement of the Academy’s Dietetic Practice Groups with MQii

Abstract

Raise awareness of Malnutrition Quality Improvement Initiative (MQii) efforts and recruitment in the Learning Collaborative among the Academy’s Dietetic Practice Groups (DPGs). As efforts of the Malnutrition Quality Improvement Initiative (MQii) were underway it became apparent to MQii Partners, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Avalere Health, that engagement with the Academy’s DPG Leaders is critical in order to advance objectives of the initiative which include:Advance adoption of malnutrition electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs);Improve effectiveness and timeliness of malnutrition care through an interdisciplinary toolkit; andSupport availability of tools that can be integrated into EHR systems to improve care quality. Three major strategies were identified and operationalized to advance the noted objectives. First, a Lunch and Learn event was held for DPG Leaders at the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo™ (FNCE) 2017 to brief them on current MQii activities. Second, a series of MQii follow-up webinars with DPG leaders got underway in order to provide MQii updates and provide opportunity for attendees to ask questions. Lastly, a Malnutrition Quality Improvement survey was deployed to 26 DPG memberships to gain member interest level with participation in the MQii Learning Collaborative. Over 100 participants attended the MQii Lunch and Learn event at FNCE Chicago 2017. Attendees received a customized malnutrition communication packet to share with their DPG membership focusing on how to get started using malnutrition eCQMs, obtaining C-suite and clinical care team support, and overcoming barriers. Four separate DPG engagement webinars occurred from February to March 2018. During the webinars DPG leaders were updated on MQii progress and engaged in a discussion to share their insights on where their memberships have opportunities to be involved with MQii. The Malnutrition Quality Improvement survey indicated that 20% of respondents were interested in participating in the MQii Learning Collaborative. DPGs play a unique role of facilitating dietetic practitioners to connect with fellow like-minded colleagues. Targeting the 26 DPGs allowed the Academy to significantly increase recruitment efforts for the MQii Learning Collaborative. A total of 119 adult in-patient acute-care hospitals expressed interest in joining the MQii Learning Collaborative.