Northeast Ohio Quality Improvement Hub

The Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM), in collaboration with academic leaders, healthcare providers, and payers, has established Regional Quality Improvement (QI) Hubs across Ohio to advance population health improvement for Medicaid enrollees. The Northeast Ohio (NEO) QI Hub is led by Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine in partnership with Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), regional healthcare systems, and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC).

In the Northeast Ohio region, diabetes is a common problem with prevalence rates ranging from 9%-12% of the population. Using data from partner clinics participating in the NEO QI Hub, hemoglobin A1C levels >9% were estimated in the 20-30% range with notable disparities across populations.

The initial QI project of the NEO QI Hub, Achieving HEAlth Equity in Diabetes (AHEAD), seeks to improve the health of adults living with diabetes in Northeast Ohio by using quality improvement science in participating primary care practices to improve glycemic control and eliminate disparities in glycemic control. AHEAD builds upon a prior successful statewide Diabetes QI Project which improved A1C > 9% from 25% to 20% at high-volume Medicaid primary care sites led by Ohio’s seven schools of medicine, the Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center, and ODM. Resources developed by the AHEAD Initiative include the Diabetes QI Clinical and Patient Education Toolkits and a podcast series (see below). Practices can access their data dashboard using the link below.