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December 13, 2016

New Clinical Quality Improvement Program for physicians to launch in January


Early in the New Year, 16 Saskatchewan doctors will make up the first wave of participants in the new Clinical Quality Improvement Program (CQIP), which has been designed specifically for clinicians in our health system.

Saskatchewan’s Health Quality Council (HQC) – in collaboration with the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) and the provincial Ministry of Health – is launching CQIP, with the program set to run from January to November 2017. 

“We were excited about the quantity and quality of our first group of CQIP applicants,” said Gary Teare, HQC’s CEO. “The inaugural cohort has a lot of diversity, both in the clinical quality improvement projects they are aiming to undertake and in their individual backgrounds as physicians.”

“Physicians play an important role in improving quality, safety and appropriateness of care through their clinical expertise and leadership,” said Mark Wyatt, a Ministry of Health Assistant Deputy Minister. “This program will help a new group of physicians develop the knowledge and skills needed to support innovative improvements to patient care.”

“I am pleased to see such excellent interest and uptake by my colleagues in this innovative initiative,” said SMA President Dr. Intheran Pillay. “The Clinical Quality Improvement Program dovetails with several discussions the SMA has been having on supporting physicians to develop critical leadership and quality improvement skills. Many of the outcomes of the CQIP program will actually help to underpin the work of physicians and their colleagues in co-designing a better health-care system for Saskatchewan. A better, more integrated health system will be beneficial to patients, and to physicians.”

CQIP is proud to announce its first cohort of 16 participants:

  • Dr. Chantal Ansell – University of Saskatchewan
  • Dr. Patricia Campbell – Prairie North Health Region
  • Dr. Senthil Damodharan – Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region
  • Dr. Shamsuddin Fakhir – Cypress Health Region
  • Dr. Milo Fink – Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region
  • Dr. Erin Hamilton – Prairie North Health Region
  • Dr. Marcie Heggie – Sunrise Health Region
  • Dr. Mark James – Saskatoon Health Region
  • Dr. Maurice Ogaick – Saskatoon Health Region
  • Dr. Shaqil Peermohamed – Saskatoon Health Region
  • Dr. Henrike Rees – Saskatoon Health Region
  • Dr. Rabia Shahid – Saskatoon Health Region
  • Dr. Nicolette Sinclair – Saskatoon Health Region
  • Dr. Niroshan Sothilingam – Saskatoon Health Region
  • Dr. Ron Taylor – Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region 
  • Dr. Philip Wright – Saskatchewan Cancer Agency

CQIP is an 11-month course designed to build capability for facilitating and leading successful health-care improvement work in Saskatchewan. The program includes a mix of theory and experiential learning, along with individual coaching and a community of practice for physicians actively working in a clinical context.

This first cohort of CQIP participants indicated their areas of interest in their applications. For example, there will be improvement projects undertaken relating to pediatric mental health, HIV screening and testing, the management and care of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and antibiotic use in the intensive care unit. While the CQIP workshops will be based in Saskatoon, the project work will take place in the health region or organization in which the physicians work.

CQIP is a sister program to the internationally recognized mini-Advanced Training Program, which was developed by Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City, Utah. Its content has been adapted by HQC for the Saskatchewan health-care system. CQIP has been accredited for up to 192 credit hours (Mainpro+) by the College of Family Physicians of Canada.