KEY INITIATIVE:
CONSULT SERVICES
Organizational Priority #3
Demonstrate improvements in clinical and service quality resulting
in satisfied customers.
Leader(s)
David Henderson, James Balow (NIDDK)
Collaborators
CC Departments, Institutes
Description
Quality of consult services has been an ongoing concern of
the Medical Executive Committee. Dr. Balow, Clinical Director,
NIDDK is chairing a subcommittee charged with assessing the current
consult services and developing recommendations for improvement.
The Clinical Center is working with Institutes to continuously
improve these services in support of the intramural clinical
research program.
The Internal Medicine Consult Service (IMCS) is a new internal
medicine resource available to all Clinical Center patients.
The IMCS is staffed by a board-certified internist and a nurse
practitioner specializing in adult internal medicine. The IMCS
will offer the following consultative services:
- diagnostic, comprehensive, ongoing care for general medical
problems
- coordination of care for complex patients who require multiple,
highly specialized consultants
- a central source for questions regarding care of patients
with both routine and rare medical problems -- utilizing the
unique pool of expertise available at the NIH
Accomplishments-to-Date
Internal Medicine Consult Service
- Needs assessment conducted of Institute and CC stakeholders
- Defined scope of program based on needs assessment
- Physician leader identified and contracted
- Nurse practitioner hired to support program
- Service implemented in November 1998
- Program received positive evaluation by Medical Executive
Committee in
April 1999
FY2000 Goals
- Maintain existing service and re-evaluate program to assure
organizational needs are being met
- Re-engineer program scope and personnel based on results
of needs assessment
- Work with Medical Executive Committee to implement additional
improvements in consult services
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