LOOP Blog

A few months back I wrote about the importance of stories as we work together to improve care for  kids with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. And what a wonderful collection of stories we are building! But we also know that data and measurable outcomes (like % of kids in remission, and % of kids NOT taking steroids) are really important too. One of the most important tools ImproveCareNow (ICN) teams use is called 90-day goals.

90-day goals are meant to ground and shape teams’ quality improvement (QI) work. Teams use QI to see where the gaps are in the care they deliver to each patient, and all patients, they see with IBD, and figure out the best ways to close those gaps (or make real improvements in care and outcomes). These goals also provide a rallying point for team members, keeping them aligned, focused, and motivated. Done well, 90-day goals are incredibly motivating and help the team strive to achieve big things together, while also honing in on the individual (sometimes nebulous) ideas for improvement. In QI it is always important to refine your goal or aim into something specific, measurable, (hopefully) achievable, realistic, and time-bound (SMART).

I have been reflecting on the diverse goals that ICN teams set for the last quarter of 2014. I want to share some of my favorites - and give you a little snapshot of the work that is going on across the Network. Whether new to the Network or having years of experience with collaborative quality improvement, ICN centers are working to create systems that are sustainable and manageable, to better understand the needs of individual patients and groups of patients, and of course to get more patients into remission and keep them there.

A brand new center: “We will register 70 patients total (50% of our estimated eligible population).” This reflects an important focus on the basics—getting patients into the ICN registry so they can benefit from the tools available to learn from their data and make related improvements in care.

A team that is gaining momentum after about six months of participation in ImproveCareNow: “Each faculty will review a Pre-Visit Plan on at least 25% of their IBD patients.” This center has worked hard to get patients into the ImproveCareNow registry. They are now ready to focus becoming a proactive, prepared practice team—assessing the needs of patients prior to visits. They are starting small so that they can test different changes and learn as they go…before spreading to even more patients.

A “veteran” team aiming to make sure that patients transitioning to adult care are prepared for that major milestone: “By December 31, 2014, we will achieve…20% increase in patients 16-18 years old with a transition plan.” This center knows that transition to adult care is so much more than just making a referral to an adult physician. They want to know that their patients have the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to navigate that journey.

And a team that has already achieved an impressive 80% remission rate, pushing to see how high they can go: “By December 31 2014, the remission rate will  consistently be 85% two of the three months of the quarter.” This center has built a reliable, proactive, and patient-centered system. They and others are setting a new bar for the outcomes that are possible when all members—patients, parents, clinicians, and improvers—work together!

It can be hard to explain what a complex system like ImproveCareNow is all about. There are a lot of moving parts! After all, we can all agree health care is very complex! As a leader in this network, I know we often talk about the big innovations, the patient stories, and the work we do to keep this community connected across the miles. But these individual goals give a real concrete look at part of the foundation of this network’s success. The day-to-day, on-the-ground work that goes on at 71 (and counting!) ICN care centers across the US and UK.

It’s important to point out that the goals of brand new teams, which focus on ensuring every patient with IBD is included in the ImproveCareNow registry and that data is 100% complete and accurate,  are no less important than the goals of more experienced teams. Once a solid foundation for improvement is laid, teams are able to focus on achieving even better outcomes (like higher remission rates). It is a continuum—a journey that all centers begin when they join ImproveCareNow. And as a Network that encourages “seamless sharing and shameless stealing,” none of the centers are working toward these goals alone. Experienced teams become mentors and coaches for newer teams even as they work toward their own goals.  And newer teams are able to go further, faster because we’re all in this together.

Thank you to the ImproveCareNow teams for another amazing set of goals. We can’t wait to see what you achieve together!

[Editor's note: Ask your care team about their ImproveCareNow goals next time you're in clinic.They'd be glad to share! Not sure if you're at an ICN center, find out here.]

Justin Vandergrift believes when you’re meant to do something, doors will open. But you have to be there when the doorbell rings. You have to open that door. And Justin has opened a lot of doors in his life. He runs multiple companies, volunteers at Levine Children’s Hospital, and has made it his mission to deliver hope and inspiration, information and empowerment to families (just like his) living with a chronic illness – like Crohn’s disease, which his daughter Kathryn has

Crohn’s disease, along with ulcerative colitis, is also known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease or IBD.

I asked Justin to share the story of Empowered by Kids (EBK), the non-profit he co-founded with two other parents (Tania Moon and Julia Ament-Cox), to fast-track the delivery of hope, inspiration, information and empowerment where it’s needed most.

The story begins with an ImproveCareNow (ICN) Learning Session and a greeting card.

At his first Learning Session, Justin remembers Mary Jones from Texas Children’s sharing how she designed a card and filled it with greetings from patients and hand-delivered it to kids with IBD staying on the inpatient floor. It was a huge success.

Justin loved the idea, so he partnered with an aspiring artist and pediatric IBD patient back at Levine to design a card and then filled it with greetings from patients. He printed the cards and added them to the inpatient care kits the Levine support group put together. The response was amazing!

“I remember our Social Worker telling me the cards were the very best part of the care kits!”

Building on the success of the greeting cards, Justin and the ICN Parent Working Group hatched a plan for a “Book of Hope” - a collection of stories and greetings from parents and patients with IBD, designed to deliver hope well beyond the walls of a single hospital. Enthusiasm for the project was overwhelming! But it was not clear how to pay for it and what the legal implications might be. Sensing the door closing, Justin turned toward the next.

For his birthday, he wished for nothing more than the support of family and friends, and was overwhelmed by their generosity. Recognizing this as the opportunity to bring Book of Hope to life, he teamed up with Tania Moon and Julia Ament-Cox, whom he had been working closely with on the project, and EBK was born.

In six short weeks, the trio established EBK as a 501c3 non-profit, launched a website, laid out stories from 25 parents and patients with IBD in the first edition of the Book of Hope, and printed 10,000 copies.

They arrived at the Fall 2013 Learning Session with hope in hand, and blew everyone away as they unveiled the Book of Hope and invited ICN care centers to order as many copies as they needed (free of charge) to give to all patients and families with IBD across the network. Today, Justin estimates over 60% of ICN centers have the Book of Hope in stock. And it is always available for free download online here.

The Book of Hope, like everything EBK creates and shares, is designed for parents and patients, by parents and patients. Everyone at EBK has lived through chronic illness diagnosis, and is still on the journey. Their goal is to make it just a little bit easier for those that come after them by sharing tools and information that empower patients and parents to ask good questions and make good decisions; by providing hope and inspiration as a constant reminder that no one is in this alone; and by bringing together a community of people who will continue to support, inspire, educate and empower one another.

Ding Dong…Ding Dong…

Do you hear that? It’s a doorbell ringing. Go ahead open the door. Connect with EBK. They’ve been waiting for you! Here are a few ways to connect:

• IBD Book of Hope, created by ICN Parent Working Group
  • http://www.empoweredbykids.com/books-hope/upcoming-projects/
• Cystic Fibrosis Book of Hope, created in partnership with Erin Moore
  • http://www.empoweredbykids.com/books-hope/cystic-fibrosis-book-hope/
• EBK IBD eNewsletter, written for parents, by parents
  • http://www.empoweredbykids.com/newsletters/ibd-newsletter/
• Honored Patient Stories, shared across EBK's social media channels

In case you’re wondering, Justin still listens for the doorbell. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the EBK doors that will be opening soon.

• Hope on Demand, an iOS app delivering hope to your apple device
• Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome Book of Hope - Winter 2014
• EBK IBD Podcasts, combining ICN center highlights, opportunities and best practices

As this year's PAC Scholars Bianca and I (Isabelle) got to go to the 2014 Fall Learning Session in Chicago. We had such a great time and just wanted to share some of our thoughts about the LS before, during and afterwards!

Before:

Isabelle: Leading up to the Learning session I was so excited! There were so many texts and e-mails and many plans to be made (plane tickets, hotel rooms, and most importantly snack choices). As it got closer I was a little nervous, as I am the only one of the PAC representatives who had never been to a Learning Session before, but mostly I was just so excited to see/meet my fellow PAC leaders and so many others!

Bianca: Before the Learning Session I was super excited to see everyone again and be able to meet my fellow PAC Scholar, Isabelle! Since I had already been to a few Learning Sessions, I knew what to expect (how busy it is, the amount of new people I would be meeting,etc.), but I was looking forward to working on a different level with the PAC. Before the Learning Session, I got to help out with the pre-work. "Grading" each center's vision for their ideal treatment center and picking my favorites was a lot of fun. I loved reading how big every center's dreams were for their own perfect IBD center.

During:

Isabelle: I met so many interesting people. It was so amazing how nice and down-to-earth everyone was, including the big-shot doctors. They all introduced themselves by their first names and seemed genuinely interested in hearing about where I go to school, what I am studying and my dreams for my future and the future of the PAC. There were many planning sessions with just the PAC and it really got me excited about our future projects and being in the Learning Session environment helped make those projects feel connected to a larger purpose.

Bianca: During the Learning Session, I met so many more people than I had anticipated! It was great to be able to formally meet everyone and see how passionate each and every center is. I also got to spend a lot of time with Isabelle, Jennie, and Sami, which was awesome to get to know them on a different level, rather than throught text/emails. The past few Learning Sessions I had been to were nice and helpful, but I like to be more involved, so this Learning Session was by far the best!

After:

Isabelle: I made so many connections and learned a lot about ICN at the Learning Session. It was a lot to take in but I really enjoyed the entire event and can’t wait to go back again, this time with even more knowledge heading into it. Meeting my fellow PAC leaders Jennie and Bianca and of course seeing Sami again was so much fun and I feel like I am so close with all of them already. I am very excited for our future and the future of ICN!

Bianca: Afterwards, I was beyond excited for what this year would bring. This LS was great becuase, like I said, I got to spend a lot of time with the PAC leadership, being introduced into the PAC leadership position, setting goals, ordering room service, and just hanging out with each other.  Though the few days were fun and enjoyable, things did get hectic at times, but overall a great, well spent, work filled weekend. I cannot wait until the next LS, because the experience of each Learning Session is like no other - the connections made, the work being done, and of course the laughs and tears shared. I am beyond excited for this year!

Speak out. Tell ImproveCareNow what IBD questions need to be answered.

What do you wish you knew about Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis? Do you have questions about diagnosis or treatment options? What about daily management of IBD? Maybe you've wondered if a certain drug or lifestyle change would help. These are important questions! The answers could have an incredible impact on your life, the life of your child, the lives of many patients living with IBD.

ImproveCareNow is ready to answer your important questions – but we need you to tell us what they are!

Teens and young adults with IBD, and their parents and clinicians are invited to participate in the IBD Learning Priorities Project - a study being conducted in partnership with Patient Priorities. Participants will be asked to share questions and concerns about IBD, and it's treatment, management, etc. in a confidential survey. The results will be used to create a list of the top learning objectives for ImproveCareNow to focus on.

Speak out! Tell us what you need to know. Go to patientpriorities.com to complete your brief survey, now.

One of the most challenging things about my job as Communications Manager for ImproveCareNow is trying to take a Network that is as vast, as diverse, as groundbreaking as ImproveCareNow, and distill it down into a single clear message that means something...to Paul Patient, to Prudence Parent, to Carrick Clinician, to Igor Industry, to Harold Healthcare. I think about this a lot. I talk about it with my colleagues. My husband actually asked me to stop talking about it with him.

One day I found myself talking about it with one of the fabulous parent partners who volunteers her time and brilliance to help ImproveCareNow transform care, health and costs for all kids with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis - and she highlighted for me how I'm failing at my job. Yup. I already knew that.

But, guess what, she let me know that she's struggling too. She's tried many times to explain what ImproveCareNow is, and what we do, and each time has been met with a "huh?".  Actually, it's not the first time I've heard this story. I think many of us have tried to explain what ImproveCareNow is and been met with "huh?", because we're trying to squeeze the WHOLE story in. I get it. There is so much great work going on in ImproveCareNow; it's irresistible to try and cover it all.



But, let's go back to failure for a moment. In our network we know failure is really just opportunity in disguise. An opportunity to learn something new, to change the way we approach something, to make an improvement.

So, on that note, I've been thinking about opportunities to Improve Communications Now. And I've decided it is not my job. Wait, did I just fire myself?! No. It's not my job because, like so much of what we do in ImproveCareNow, I can't do it alone. It is going to take a village.

And and then occurred to me. The village exists! There's Steve from the Research Committee. Melida from the ICN Exchange. Sarah M. from the Quality Improvement & Executive Leadership teams. Jamie from the Parent Working group. Jennie & Sami and all the PACers from the Patient Advisory Council. There's Noel from the Psychologist/Social Worker group. Michael who is a psychologist, researcher and a parent as well. And more. And they are all here on LOOP.

Ok, so we've got the village. Where do we go from here? Well, I think we should expand the village. Bring more storytellers into mix. In fact, I think you should consider being one of those storytellers. How will you begin? A great way to start is by asking yourself "what is my ICN story?" Write it down. And send it to me.

As for me, I'll just sit back and let you do all the work. I'm just kidding! I'll be here, helping you along the way. I'll work with you as your editor, your collaborator, your writing coach. My job is to help you share what ImproveCareNow is through your story. And it's also to take your story, and the stories of many others, and showcase them together so they reveal the bigger picture. And that is how we will go from stories, to the WHOLE story. That's how we'll go full circle.

- Sarah

Dave Davis :: Dreaming the Perfect Exchange

If you haven’t noticed, the ICN Exchange team thinks you’re special. Why? Well, when we set off on this journey to create...

...we weren't really sure how to do it. So we asked for your help, and you have continued to tell us what works and what doesn't ever since. You have given us your time and your ideas and we hope you can see the difference it has made in making the ICN Exchange the knowledge-sharing tool you need. A platform that helps all of us pursue our shared mission of transforming care, health and costs for all kids with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis - of being the 'cure for waiting for the cure'.

We have always known that our work is rooted in community-building, and connecting people and ideas; not necessarily in technology. Your participation continues to confirm our belief.

Here’s what we've learned, as you have joined our team in dreaming of the perfect ICN Exchange:

• Multiple “repins” of the same item can be confusing

• When an item is “repined” the conversation happening in the comment section does not transfer

• It would be great if you could search for a person, and if the search function were more efficient generally

• It can be hard to find what you are looking for, i.e. the navigation of the site should be more intuitive

• It’s difficult to upload and share items properly, especially if you have a lot to share

• On some mobile devices, the ICN Exchange experience is not great

ICN Exchange users, please let us know if we've missed anything.

P.S. If you want to learn even more about the ICN Exchange, check out our Harvard Open Forum Idea submission, an effort led by Dan McLinden. This is our response to the question: What proven innovations have you created that would enhance health care value in the U.S. if broadly disseminated?

URL for Harvard Open Forum: http://t.co/l3oe2Hbr9k

BTW you can follow the ICN Exchange on Twitter, it's a great way to keep in touch & tells us what you think.

What are the research assets of ImproveCareNow?

Certainly the large and rapidly growing database of patient information is beginning to be tapped as a research resource.

But the ICN community itself is a powerful resource as well!

The Research Committee has received several applications to conduct survey research. After asking the ICN community for feedback, the infrastructure is now in place to begin gathering a list of survey recipients, and we need you to sign up!

Why should you participate in survey research?

• Your views are important, and you can make a contribution to advancing knowledge and building a stronger network.

• Surveys are an important way to learn more about things such as research prioritization, trends in diagnosis and treatment, and how to build a better network.

• You support your colleagues with your participation!

"Survey - based research within ICN gives us the ability to gauge how pediatric GI practitioners approach specific aspects of IBD patient care in a quantifiable manner. This augments our "real world" understanding of the practices and attitudes of health care providers within ICN and therefore, can highlight areas of clinical practice we can target in our quality improvement efforts." - Sandra C. Kim, M.D.

Because we recognize the flood of emails you already receive, the Research Committee elected to create an opt-in mechanism that will allow investigators to target survey research only to those who want to participate. Your ICN key contact person has the ability to add or edit the contact information of all your team members (including all of your providers) in the ICN Contact Management System. Simply have your key contact select the Survey Study List button for all team members who want to participate!



Our success in survey research will depend on getting a large cohort of the ICN community involved - don't delay - it's time to opt-in!

Steve Steiner
Co-Chair, ICN Research Committee

When I was diagnosed with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease 7 years ago, I wanted a simple and straightforward “cure all” treatment. To my dismay, I learned that relying on one silver bullet drug, would not suffice. Controlling this disease was like trying to tame a wild animal and would require balancing many factors. I became attuned to how psychological stress and poor diet negatively affected my symptoms. With a careful combination of transient targeted steroids, immunomodulatory drugs, vigorous exercise, and lifestyle changes, I regained my ability to thrive. I returned to my former state of athleticism, regularly tackling the intense and unforgiving northern California waves with my surfboard.

I soon entered the University of California, Santa Cruz’s neuroscience and psychology programs. While I was intensely focused on my academics and extracurriculars, the foundational nature of the human brain became seemingly more important. Comprised of approximately eighty billion neurons or brain cells, the vast intricacy of this three pound organ is extraordinary: The relationships or “connections” between these neurons –– called synapses –– outnumber the stars in our home galaxy. These small spaces are in actuality busy microcosms of information transfer between neurons. Minute chemical messengers called neurotransmitters serve as the communicational media. It is widely believed that the way in which brain cells are connected and their chemistry determines our psychological state.

I took note: under times of intense pressure or stress my physical symptoms manifested. Was this just a mere coincidence? Or was there really something going on? With a neuroscientific lens, I investigated.

I found that the connection between the brain and body and its interactions in disease are well-recognized by the scientific community.¹ Modern day stress is seemingly connected to our most primal of reactions – activating a “fight or flight” response – that would be more useful to us in prehistoric times in our interactions with predation. A stress hormone called Cortisol serves to direct our body’s resources (in the form of glucose) away from non-vital functions like digestion and immune activity. For this reason, scientists believe that prolonged stress plays a pivotal part in a myriad of autoimmune conditions.

The extent to which psychological states influence the disease progression of IBD is still somewhat unclear. Numerous studies and review articles, however, suggest that these psychological states play a role in both direct disease progression and how patients deal and cope with their disease. ^{2, 3, 4, 5}

Reducing stress is just one of many changes that help me live with Crohn’s Disease. Further, just as important is staying informed and imaginative. This blog and the entire ImproveCareNow community represent a beautiful medium for these concepts to flourish. Thank you for your part in this community.

References:

1. Sternberg E, Gold P. The Mind-Body Interaction in Disease. Scientific American Special Edition. 2002:82-9.

1. Mawdsley JE, Rampton DS. Psychological stress in IBD: new insights into pathogenic and therapeutic implications. Gut. 2005;54(10):1481-91.

1. Mikocka-Walus AA, Gordon AL, Stewart BJ, Andrews JM. A magic pill? A qualitative analysis of patients' views on the role of antidepressant therapy in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). BMC Gastroenterol. 2012;12:93.

1. Peters S, Grunwald N, Remmele P, et al. Chronic psychosocial stress increases the risk for inflammation-related colon carcinogenesis in male mice. Stress. 2012;15(4):403-15.

1. Sajadinejad MS, Asgari K, Molavi H, et al. Psychological issues in inflammatory bowel disease: an overview. Gastroenterol Res Pract. 2012;2012:106502.

When I’m not leading improvement activities in the ImproveCareNow network, I’m busy raising a family. As a parent of young kids, I do a lot of bedtime reading. Recently, I was reading The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince) by Antione de St. Exupery to Finn, who is 7. After a few pages, Finn just wanted to go back to his other book (I will have to try again in a few years!) but it made me want to reread it after a long time.

This quote appears not far into the book:

"Grown-ups love figures...When you tell them you've made a friend they never ask you any questions about essential matters. They never say to you "What does his voice sound like? What game does he love best? Does he collect butterflies? Instead they demand "How old is he? How much does he weigh? How much money does his father make? Only from these figures do they think they have learned anything about him."

As ImproveCareNow builds an awareness and engagement campaign aimed at bringing many, many more patient and parent partners into our work, we have such wonderful models for storytelling about the “essential matters”—the story of the whole person, not just the figures like lab results, medications, and BMI. Our Patient Advisory Council (PAC) members so often share their stories as people, not just patients. They articulate their journey with IBD in ways that are wise beyond their years and make us pause and think about how we can try to be wiser and learn from them. Our Parent Working Group members have challenged us to see their children’s whole lives and faces when we look at the data we use to drive improvements. And our colleagues at Empowered by Kids are using their amazing commitment and individual talents to reach other families who need to expand their own “village.”

I am off to Chicago tomorrow for the ImproveCareNow Fall Learning Session. Learning Sessions are a time to celebrate the achievements of the past six months, but also to ponder how best to leverage the strengths of our community to do even more together. The essential questions for us now are: How will this Learning Health System reach and engage and partner with many more parents and patients? How can we pair the right people with the right action – bringing new energy and perspectives to how we run the whole network, and how things are done at each individual care center?

We know we will be even better at achieving our aims (the most important of which is getting more and more kids into remission!) with more people working with us, sharing their experience and talents and perspective. So as we plot out next steps for ImproveCareNow, I think we need to stay focused not only on “figures”, but also on “essential matters”. Our many parent, patient and clinician partners are already teaching us the importance and the impact of a story. I know I can’t wait to hear from—and really learn about—more and more of them.

The better we know each other, the easier it will be to create the future of ImproveCareNow together and to find joy in learning and leading together.

See you in Chicago!