The Office of Learning and Improvement Methods (OLIM) supports partners in offering high-quality services through quality planning and continuous improvement. OLIM has more than fifteen years of experience providing consultation, training, coaching, and development and facilitation of Quality Improvement Learning Collaboratives to public health professionals, community-based agencies, and direct service providers on integrating quality planning and improvement methods into their day-to-day practices to grow and nurture a culture of quality.

Our goals are to:

Achieve Excellence
In consultation, training, and coaching in quality planning and improvement methods, tools, and techniques.

Serve Partners
As they nurture a culture of quality that fosters staff and community engagement and supports continuous improvement.

Build Relationships
That allow for tailored supports and foster learning and unlearning.

Assist Partners
In translating quality methods, tools, techniques, and concepts to practice achieving high-quality programs, services, and systems for all.

Services

OLIM specializes in customized support for our partners and communities that:

  • Emphasizes how quality planning and improvement can help professionals and providers better meet the needs of their customers (both internal and external).
  • Illustrates how the use of quality planning and improvement methods can lead to operating more efficiently and effectively as an organization/program.
  • Practical and accessible to professionals and providers who are unfamiliar with quality planning and improvement or using data and information to guide decision making processes.
  • Uses principles of adult learning, ensuring that participants are active members in the learning process.
  • Emphasizes that quality becomes engrained in an organization’s/program’s culture when it is used on an everyday basis to solve everyday problems.

OLIM offers a variety of quality planning and improvement supports that are tailored to clients and partners needs.

Accreditation

Workshops and Supports

OLIM develops and delivers a variety of workshops and supports focused on quality planning and continuous improvement to support current and future clients and partners in building knowledge, skills, and abilities in these topical areas for the group with which they are engaged. While workshops can take any shape and form necessary to meet client and partner needs, OLIM does have some standard workshops that clients and partners are often interested in. These workshops can occur in-person or virtually.

The Quality Improvement Foundations Workshop is designed to train participants on the basics of quality improvement, the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle model, and key quality improvement tools (team charter, aim statement, process map, fishbone diagram, affinity diagram, improvement theory, ). The workshop includes a mix of lecture-style content delivery, discussion, and hands-on activities/exercises to provide participants the opportunity to immediately apply the workshop content. Throughout the workshop, participants will apply learnings as they go with the support of the trainers. Participants will leave this opportunity with a basic understanding of quality improvement, the PDSA cycle, and key tools for carrying out quality improvement efforts in their day-to-day work. Materials will be provided to participants in hardcopy and electronic format.

The Train-the-Trainer workshop is designed to expand participants’ understanding and implementation of Quality Improvement methods, tools, and techniques. Training participants will be trained in practical methods of sharing knowledge, skills, and tools related to Quality Improvement with others to apply to improvement efforts.

Most training segments will involve three components. First, the training facilitators will provide information, primarily through lecture and reference to written materials. Second, the facilitators will demonstrate how to train/support colleagues and partners in the content area. Third, the participants will practice what they have observed, receiving feedback from the training facilitators and their peers. This process of learning, observation, and practice will support skill building and reinforce retention. Following the Train-the-Trainer Quality Improvement Workshop Series, participants will have the basic tools necessary for educating others in quality improvement and facilitating quality improvement efforts.

OLIM is well-versed in carrying out shorter learning opportunities that focus on a specific topic, method, tool, or technique to help with initial learning or deepening knowledge and skills to support those engaged in applying the information gained in their day-to-day work. OLIM is seasoned at working with clients and partners to develop these tailored learning opportunities to best meet their needs. Topics can include:

  • Fostering and Nurturing a Culture of Quality
  • Identifying Areas for Improvement and Running Short PDSA Cycles
  • Using Data for Quality Improvement and Beyond
  • Using Data Beyond your Program’s Data System for Improvement
  • Tips for Developing Data Charts and Graphs in MS Excel
  • Developing Measures that Center Health and Wellbeing for All
  • Tool for Root Cause Analysis
  • Tools for Identifying Potential Solutions/Strategies to Test
  • Getting from A to B: Process Maps and Standard Operating Procedures
  • Acting on and Sustaining Improvement Efforts
  • Strategies for Team Building and Engagement
  • Quality Improvement Refresher
  • And more!

Tailored, just-in-time coaching is an important support when it comes to quality efforts. Teams and groups who have someone to lean on for support as they begin to use methods, tools, and techniques often experience strengthen success in the efforts they carry out. OLIM has a team of experienced coaches who are ready to meet teams where they are, in the moment. Coaches typically jump in and join team meetings to answer questions, collaborate with the team, support the team in using methods, tools, and techniques they are less familiar with (coach will often facilitate the team through), and so forth. Coaching is often coupled with other services to provide a more complete package of supports for professionals and practitioners. Coaching services can be provided on an ongoing basis, through a bank of hours, or at specific points in time in a scope of work.

Often, clients and partners and/or initiatives find themselves in a place where several programs/ organizations they are working with have aligned needs for improvement. Developing and carrying out a Quality Improvement Learning Collaborative can be an excellent method for accomplishing these needs. Quality Improvement Learning Collaboratives bring teams of staff from programs/ organizations together to focus on a specific topic for improvement. OLIM is well-versed and practiced in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI) Breakthrough Series Collaborative Model. OLIM supports clients and partners in identifying topics of focus for a Quality Improvement Learning Collaboratives, supports prioritization of topics among all who will be involved, develops all materials (Change Package) for the Quality Improvement Learning Collaborative in collaboration with all involved, carries out all functions of the Quality Improvement Learning Collaborative (Learning Sessions, Action Period Gatherings, one-on-one team coaching, etc.), and supports wrap-up activities to ensure learnings are sustained and shared with those involved and beyond.

We our currently running two virtual workshops:

  • Using Quality Improvement (QI) Tools to Center Wellness and Health for All
  • Advancing Wellness and Health for All through Quality Improvement

Are You Interested in Learning More?

Contact Us at QI@mphi.org

Free Resources To Get You Started!

Looking to get started with Quality Improvement (QI)? Check out the following short, recording trainings to get you going:

Recorded Training
QI Basics: Setting the Stage for QI

Recorded Training
Introduction to the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Cycle:

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