The Partnership for Patient Care (PPC) is a collaboration between Independence Blue Cross and the Philadelphia region’s hospitals. This unique collaboration between payer and providers to jointly fund quality and patient safety improvement initiatives has been recognized as a national model. Since its creation in 2006, PPC projects have strived to accelerate the adoption of evidence-based clinical practices by pooling the resources, knowledge, and efforts of health care providers and partners. Topics are selected by HCIF’s Clinical Advisory Committee, a voluntary expert panel of healthcare providers and partners from organizations across Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Collaborative Description
Partnership for Patient Care (PPC) is a collaboration between Independence Blue Cross (IBC) and the Philadelphia region’s hospitals with the vision to be the safest region in the country. As a signature program of HCIF since 2006, this unique collaboration between payer and providers to share successful experiences and to jointly fund quality and patient safety improvement initiatives has been recognized as a national model. The inclusive and collaborative nature of PPC’s improvement efforts has enabled the region to transcend a highly competitive provider marketplace and foster partnerships with organizations that share a common desire for quality improvement.
Over the last decade-plus, PPC has funded over 26 multi-year collaboratives addressing a variety of quality and safety priorities with the region’s hospitals. These PPC collaboratives aimed at improving the quality and safety of care delivered to patients in our region have included the contributions from over 2,000 participants.
Each year HCIF carries out a hospital appeal that incorporates support from the regions hospital and health system leaders as well as IBC. Funding for PPC assists the wide range of programs and initiatives that are facilitated each year. HCIF is proud to report that PPC’s unique model of payer/provider collaboration has sustained robust levels of support over the years.
2022 PPC Contributors and Participants
Einstein Healthcare Network
Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia
Einstein Montgomery
Moss Rehab
Jefferson Health
Abington Health Lansdale Hospital
Abington Memorial Hospital
Aria Health – Torresdale Campus
Aria Health – Frankford Campus
Aria Health – Bucks County Campus
Magee Rehabilitation Hospital
Methodist Hospital Division
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Main Line Health
Bryn Mawr Hospital
Lankenau Medical Center
Paoli Hospital
Riddle Hospital
Penn Medicine
Chester County Hospital
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Lancaster General Health Pennsylvania Hospital Penn Presbyterian Medical Center
Temple University Health System
Temple University Hospital
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Jeremy Souder, MD, MBA (Chair)
Patient Safety Officer, Pennsylvania Hospital, Medical Director, Pennsylvania Hospital Inpatient Palliative Care Program Clinical Assistant Professor, Hospital Medicine
Eileen E. Jaskuta, MSHA, BSN, RN (Vice Chair)
System Vice President Quality and Patient Safety, Main Line Health
Victor Caraballo, MD, MBA
Vice President of Quality Management & Chief Safety Officer, Independence Blue Cross
Mary Reich Cooper, MD, JD
Program Director, Healthcare Quality and Safety Jefferson College of Population Health, Thomas Jefferson University
Scott W. Cowan, MD, FACS
Associate Professor, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Vice Chair for Quality, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Shannon Davila, MSN, RN, CPPS, CPHQ, CIC, FAPIC
Director, Total Systems Approach to Safety, ECRI Institute
Oren Guttman, MD, MBA
Edward Asplundh Chief Quality & Patient Safety Officer, Jefferson Abington Health; Enterprise Vice President for High Reliability & Patient Safety, Jefferson Health
Christina Lauro, MSN, RN
Director of Quality Initiatives and Patient Safety Officer, Doylestown Hospital
Charles Orellana, MD
Medical Director, Clinical Care Associates of the University of Pennsylvania Health System
Aileen Schast, PhD
Senior Director, Patient Safety and Performance Improvement, Einstein Healthcare Network
Dharmini Shah Pandya, MD, FACP
Director of Patient Safety and Quality, Section of Hospital Medicine, Temple University Hospital
Charles I. Wagner, MD
Medical Advisor to Patient and Resident, Safety Initiatives, Redeemer Health
The Partnership for Patient Care Leadership Summit is held each year to celebrate the collaboration between Independence Blue Cross and the Philadelphia region’s hospitals. The Leadership Summit encourages shared learning among regional health care leaders, highlights quality and safety priorities, and offers an opportunity for regional networking. Additionally, the successes of PPC programs from the past year are featured at the Leadership Summit.
2022 PPC Leadership Summit:
Click the links below to view materials from the Summit:
Read the profiles of all speakers and presenters here.
View past summits and programs below:
Michael Leonard, MD, Founder, Safe & Reliable Healthcare A Systematic Approach to Safe and High Reliability Care IHI White Paper “A Framework for Safe, Reliable, and Effective Care” Pam Braun, BSN, MSN, Vice President of Clinical Improvement, Health Care Improvement Foundation Karen M. Perez, RN-BC, BSN, Team Coordinator, 2 Lenfest Surgical Intermediate Unit, Abington Hospital-Jefferson Health & Megan Reinhart, RN-BC, BSN, Team Coordinator, 2 Lenfest, Abington Hospital-Jefferson Health Juliane Jablonski, DNP, RN, CCRN, CCNS, Critical Care Systems Strategist, Penn Medicine ICU Liberation: Executing the “ABCDEF” Bundle Daily Thomas P. Cleary, BSN, RN, Clinical Manager, Einstein Medical Center Montgomery & Scott D. Alcott, MSN, RN, Director of Nursing Education & Professional Development, Einstein Medical Center Montgomery Preventing Opioid-Induced Ventilatory Impairment (OIVI) in Medical Surgical Patients Click the links below to view the full slide decks and recordings of each day of the Summit: Below are slides from individual presentations. Click here to read the profiles of all speakers and presenters. Wendy Nickel, MPH, President, Health Care Improvement Foundation 15-Year Partnership for Patient Care Anniversary Celebration Liz Owens, MS, Project Manager, Health Care Improvement Foundation 2020-2021 Delaware Valley Patient Safety & Quality Awards Click here to view the presentations of the 2020-21 DVPSQA winners. Pam Braun, BSN, MSN, Vice President of Clinical Improvement, Health Care Improvement Foundation Health Equity Data Strategy (Advancing Health Equity: HCIF Programs) Susan Choi, PhD, Senior Director of Population Health, Health Care Improvement Foundation Community Health Needs Assessment (Advancing Health Equity: HCIF Programs) Susan Cosgrove, MPA, Director of Health Literacy, Health Care Improvement Foundation Michael Leonard, MD, Founder, Safe & Reliable Healthcare A Systematic Approach to Safe and High Reliability Care IHI White Paper “A Framework for Safe, Reliable, and Effective Care” Pam Braun, BSN, MSN, Vice President of Clinical Improvement, Health Care Improvement Foundation Karen M. Perez, RN-BC, BSN, Team Coordinator, 2 Lenfest Surgical Intermediate Unit, Abington Hospital-Jefferson Health & Megan Reinhart, RN-BC, BSN, Team Coordinator, 2 Lenfest, Abington Hospital-Jefferson Health Juliane Jablonski, DNP, RN, CCRN, CCNS, Critical Care Systems Strategist, Penn Medicine ICU Liberation: Executing the “ABCDEF” Bundle Daily Thomas P. Cleary, BSN, RN, Clinical Manager, Einstein Medical Center Montgomery & Scott D. Alcott, MSN, RN, Director of Nursing Education & Professional Development, Einstein Medical Center Montgomery Preventing Opioid-Induced Ventilatory Impairment (OIVI) in Medical Surgical Patients Barbara Balik, EdD, RN of Aefina Partners Creating Safety and Joy in Work: 4 Leadership Actions “’What Matters to You?’ Conversation Guide for Improving Joy in Work” Liz Owens, MS, Project Coordinator, Health Care Improvement Foundation Delaware Valley Patient Safety & Quality Award Program Megan Heere, MD, Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University; Medical Director of Well Baby Nursery, Temple University Hospital Bea Leyden, BSN, MBA, RN, CPHQ, NEA-BC, Director of Nursing Clinical Practice and Performance Improvement, Jefferson Health – Northeast Progressive Mobility (PM): Evidence Based Program Improves Outcomes in Critically Ill Patients Geno J Merli, MD, MACP, FSVM, FHM, Professor of Medicine & Surgery and Associate Chief Medical Officer at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Implementation of a Patient Blood Management Program Edouard Trabulsi, MD, FACS, Professor & Vice Chair of Department of Urology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital PURC: Improving Prostate Cancer Care Delivery Claudette Fonshell RN, BSN, Director of Clinical Improvement, Health Care Improvement Foundation Subha Airan-Javia, MD, Associate CMIO, Director of Care Transitions, Director of IT & Handoff Education, Dept. of Medicine, Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Christina Michalek, BSc, Pharm, RPh, FASHP, Medication Safety Specialist, ISMP Improving Safety of CPOE Through Event-Based Testing James P. Bagian, MD, PE, Director, Center for Healthcare Engineering and Patient Safety; Professor, Department of Anesthesiology and the College of Engineering, University of Michigan More Than Root Cause Analysis: Implementing Actions to Prevent Harm Pam Braun, BSN, MSN, Senior Director of Clinical Improvement, HCIF, and Ronni P. Solomon, JD, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, ECRI Institute Pat Croskerry, MD, PhD, FRCP (Edin), Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine Director, Critical Thinking Program, Division of Medicine Education, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia CANADA Keynote Presentation: Diagnostic Errors Marci Ruediger, PT, MS, Director of Performance Excellence, Magee Rehabilitation 2015 Delaware Valley Patient Safety & Quality Award Program First Place Winner: Magee Rehabilitation Robert G. Uzzo, MD, FACS, Professor and Chairman, Department of Surgery, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple University School of Medicine, and Marc C. Smaldone, MD, MSHP, Assistant Professor of Urologic Oncology, Department of Surgery, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple University Health System Pennsylvania Urologic Regional Collaborative Martin Makary, MD, MPH, Professor of Surgery and Health Policy, Johns Hopkins University Denise Murphy, BSN, MPH, CIC , VP Quality and Patient Safety, Main Line Health 2014 Delaware Valley Patient Safety & Quality Award First Place Award Winner: Main Line Health Michael Laign, President & CEO, Holy Redeemer Health System, and Erik Muther, Managing Director, PHCQA Partnership for Patient Care Ten Year Anniversary Report Susan Choi, PhD, CPHQ, Senior Director, Quality Partnerships & Initiatives, HCIF 2 ETA ED Transitions Collaborative Update_PPC Summit 2015_FINAL Pam Braun, RN, MSN, Senior Director, Patient Safety Partnerships & Initiatives, HCIF PPC Collaborative Update: Introducing PURC Pennsylvania Regional Urology Collaborative Michael Leonard, MD, Managing Partner, Safe & Reliable Healthcare LLC Keynote Presentation: Safety Culture Evolves ‘Is Yours Proactive or Reactive? Maureen Ann Frye, MSN, CRNP, CPPS, CPHQ, Director, Center for Patient Safety and Quality, Abington Memorial Hospital Susan Choi, PhD, CPHQ, Director, Quality Partnerships & Initiatives, HCIF, Jane Feinman, RN, MSN, Senior Vice President of Hospice, VNA Hospice of Philadelphia, and Elizabeth Menschner, RN, MAS, MSN, NEA-BC, Director of Nursing, Cardio-Pulmonary & Transplant, Temple University Hospital Susan Choi, PhD, CPHQ, Senior Director, Quality Partnerships & Initiatives, HCIF 2 ETA ED Transitions Collaborative Update_PPC Summit 2015_FINAL Claudette Fonshell, RN, BSN, Clinical Project Manager, HCIF Pennsylvania Obstetric Adverse Events Collaborative Susan Cosgrove, MPA, Project Manager, HCIF Introducing ETA: Emergency Transition Advances Collaborativehidden
2021 PPC Leadership Summit
2019 HCIF & PASHRM Spring Conference
2018 PPC Leadership Summit
2017 PPC Leadership Summit
2016 PPC Leadership Summit
2015 PPC Leadership Summit
2014 PPC Leadership Summit
HCIF Excellence in Health Care Awards
The Health Care Improvement Foundation (HCIF) has hosted the Excellence in Health Care Awards (previously the Delaware Valley Patient Safety and Quality Awards) since 2002. This program is one of many ways in which HCIF promotes best practices in health care patient safety and quality throughout the region. The award recognizes hospitals and other providers for their innovative contributions in advancing patient care.
Health Equity Data Strategy Collaborative
Health Equity Data Strategy (HEDS) is a multi-year collaborative launched in 2021, which aims to decrease disparities in health outcomes for patients through the collection of race, ethnicity, and language (REaL) and sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data. Partnership for Patient Care (PPC) program contributors, including hospitals, health systems, and non-acute care provider organizations, are exclusively invited to participate. Participation in this collaborative will leave organizations better equipped to identify and address disparities in their healthcare treatment through the leveraging of REaL and SOGI data.
PURC
Established in February 2015 with funding from the Partnership for Patient Care, PURC is a quality improvement initiative that brings urology practices together in a physician-led, data-sharing and improvement collaborative aimed at advancing the quality of diagnosis and care for men with prostate cancer. HCIF serves as the coordinating center, providing administrative, clinical, and database support for program members.
Regional Safe Community
HCIF launched this major multi-year PPC initiative in 2017. The expressed purpose of the Regional Safe Community is to advance the PPC vision by collaborating and learning from safety event experiences and sharing patient safety methodologies and best practices. The program is comprised of two key components, PPC Safe Table and Safety Forum.
Each year HCIF produces an annual Partnership for Patient Care (PPC) report summarizing the annual highlights of the collaborative work carried out that year as well as the support from annual contributors.