Quality Improvement Focus at Aspen Medical Group

Aspen Medical Group is committed to providing high quality clinical care for all patients who come to our organization. Aspen establishes goals each year related to improving clinical quality. Areas of focus include preventive services (such as ensuring that all eligible patients receive cholesterol testing, and screening for breast cancer, colon cancer and osteoporosis), and improving care to patients with diabetes or coronary artery disease (CAD). “Our Quality Improvement program is an integral part of our organization’s overall strategic plan. We engage a workgroup of clinical leaders to ensure that quality is foremost in the minds of all who provide care within Aspen” according to Dr. John Mageli, Aspen’s Medical Director of Quality Improvement.

To further improve the care we provide, Aspen is a member of the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI), a group of several thousand physicians and health care organizations across Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Wisconsin. Rhonda Koele, Aspen’s Director of Quality, Risk and Safety, says “Participation in ICSI is very helpful to our organization as we focus on clinical improvement. We share our successful strategies so others may benefit from our experiences. We also learn a great deal from the successes of other organizations.”

Results are regularly measured and reported within our organization. This data enables clinical staff and administrative leaders to determine whether changes have been successful. A few examples of measures include: percentage of patients whose blood pressure is under control; percentage of eligible patients undergoing mammography testing; and percentage of patients with diabetes whose average blood sugar is in the recommended range.

Aspen Medical Group’s results are also available publicly through several of the health plans and the annual Minnesota Community Measurement reports.