Medical Quality Management & Patient Safety

Focus: To teach the fundamentals, practice the application, and prepare the fellow for practice and leadership in medical quality management and patient safety. Ultimately the curriculum will lead to board certification in Medical Quality (CMQ) through the American College of Medical Quality.

Content: This is a one or two year flexible fellowship that will include the completion of a master’s degree in business administration (two year program), completion of a project for presentation or publication, certification in medical quality management, and the practice of clinical medicine and teaching.

Curriculum

Core Topics:

  • Career Pathways in Medical Quality Management and Patient Safety
  • Fundamentals of Quality Improvement
  • Quality Measurement
  • Patient Safety
  • Organization Design and Management
  • Medical Informatics
  • Variation in Medical Practice and Implications for Quality
  • Economics and Finance in Medical Quality Management
  • Utilization Management
  • Patient Satisfaction
  • Implementing Healthcare Quality Improvement: Changing Clinician Behavior
  • External Quality Improvement: Accreditation, Quality Improvement Education, and Certification
  • Interfaces Between Quality Improvement, Law, and Medical Ethics
  • Leadership for Quality

Textbooks:

  1. Medical Quality Management: Theory and Practice; Editor: Prathibha Varkey
  2. The Healthcare Quality Book: Vision, Strategy, and Tools, Third Edition: Editors: MS Joshi, ER Ranson, DB Nash, and SB Ransom
  3. HQ Solutions: Resource for the Healthcare Quality Professional, Fourth Edition; Editors: LR Pelletier, CL Beaudin

Other Assigned Readings:

American Journal of Medical Quality as well as other selected peer reviewed journal articles.

Research/Quality Improvement Project:

Minimum completion of one major project with publication/national presentation.

Conference Attendance:

American College of Medical Quality: Medical Quality Meeting

Institute for Healthcare Improvement: Annual National Forum on Quality Improvement in Health Care

Recommended Memberships in Organized Medicine:

American College of Medical Quality

National Association of Healthcare Quality

American College of Physician Executives

Funding: Funding for the fellow’s salary and tuition comes from working half time clinically at Regions Hospital and/or affiliated outlying facilities, CME and membership funds, and tuition reimbursement.

Past Fellows:

Alex Asp, MD: July 2018 – June 2020

Jacqueline Hegarty, MD, MBA: July 2017 – June 2018

Ryan Bourdon, MD, MBA: July 2014 – June 2016

Kara Tomlinson, MD, MBA: July 2011 – June 2012

Contacts:

andrew.r.zinkel@healthpartners.com
Andrew Zinkel, MD, MBA
Fellowship Director
Associate Medical Director of Quality