Oregon MothersCare Data System Improvement

Summary

Impact Statement: 
Staff from Oregon MothersCare conducted a QI project to improve their processes for prenatal care, which led to decreased errors in tracking and faster flow through the system so that pregnant women received services in a more timely manner. Access to prenatal care was also improved.
Summary: 
Staff from Oregon MothersCare (OMC) participated in an improvement opportunity with the goal of increasing access to prenatal care. Three objectives, divided into three separate quality improvement (QI) projects, were developed to meet that goal. The first objective, focusing on decreasing errors in tracking clients through the system, was initiated, and a process was successfully improved. The other objectives will be addressed in future publications. In the past, a paper-based tracking system was used, which required potential clients and their social workers to fill out a paper form and provide it to one of the 28 OMC sites. This process created a significant delay and meant that pregnant women could not receive services on time. OMC staff created a process map of the work that was currently being done, and from that map, they discovered an opportunity to significantly improve the client enrollment and tracking process. With the help of a group of OMC stakeholders, staff brainstormed potential solutions and ultimately decided to investigate the possibility of moving the process to an online-based tracking system. The online system was developed rapidly, and testing with the stakeholder group began immediately. The feedback that OMC staff received from pilot counties proved invaluable, as the stakeholder group provided constant feedback on the new system's level of functionality. After many iterations of the system, staff decided to end the pilot. However, because of the tremendous success and satisfaction of the pilot, those pilot counties were allowed to continue use of the system while program staff planned state-wide implementation. The pilot sites then acted as the cheerleaders and trainers for the remaining sites as the new system was implemented in all participating OMC counties.
Organization that conducted the QI initiative: 
Oregon Health Authority, Public Health Division
Citation: 

Dixon-Gray, L. Public Health Quality Improvement Exchange. Oregon MothersCare Data System Improvement. Fri, 01/26/2018 - 13:43. Available at http://phqix.org/content/oregon-motherscare-data-system-improvement. Accessed March 29, 2024.

Submission Status: 
Completed
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