Quality and Performance

Chair's Initiatives

Encouraging excellence

In 2004, the Department of Pediatrics at CHOP began a program called the Chair's Initiatives. The goal: to establish new models of care in pediatrics and tackle some of the most daunting challenges in healthcare today.

The Chair’s Initiatives program provides internal grants that support projects throughout Children’s Hospital. Begun by Alan R. Cohen, MD, Physician in Chief, and Chair, Department of Pediatrics, and Alison Marx, Operating Officer, Department of Pediatrics, the program develops new projects and nourishes existing efforts, providing funding for staff and support from quality specialists, administrators, information technology and other internal and external resources.

It takes a team

Participants in the Chair’s Initiatives have included physicians, nurses, computer programmers, researchers, engineers, nurse practitioners and others within many specialties, including cardiology, emergency medicine, gastroenterology, hematology, oncology and surgery. These individuals provide an unflagging willingness to work diligently and collaboratively to move their initiatives forward and to find solutions to complex challenges.

The program represents an excellent opportunity for donors interested in helping incredibly bright, motivated teams quickly bring change that truly benefits patients and families. For more information about how you can make a gift, call The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Foundation at 267-426-5332 or visit GiftofChildhood.org.

Chair’s Initiatives projects

Since its inception, the Chair’s Initiatives program has helped 22 teams turn great ideas into reality. Reflecting the Hospital’s commitment to patient safety, we have chosen projects focused on innovation, safety and quality of care.

Ten projects were funded from 2006 to 2008, six from 2008 to 2010, and six more are currently underway.

Round 3 (2011–2013) projects

The following six projects are currently underway:

• A Shared Decision-making Portal for Pediatric Chronic Illness: For conditions such as asthma, communication between families and clinicians about goals, concerns, and the child’s condition and progress is key. This team is creating a computer portal where both sides can share information, track progress and make decisions about care.
• Assuring Quality and Safety at CHOP Community Pediatric Programs: The CHOP Care Network includes affiliations with numerous local hospitals. This team is designing and implementing a quality monitoring system to ensure that all CHOP-affiliated sites offer the same quality of care.
• Improving Hospital Care for and Service Delivery to Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Children with autism have different reactions to care and require different approaches. This team is piloting strategies for promoting patient comfort and minimizing safety concerns during routine procedures such as sedation before a CT scan.
• Minds Matter: Improving Pediatric Concussion Management: Early recognition of concussion signs and symptoms and early implementation of cognitive and physical rest are key to management of acute concussion. This team is analyzing current practice across the institution and recommending improvements in primary care, emergency care, sports medicine, trauma and other areas.
• Reducing the Incidence of Outpatient CLABSI (Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infections): Long-term IV lines called central lines, used to give patients medication and nutrients, bring increased risk of dangerous bloodstream infections. This team is working to translate safety improvements CHOP has made on the inpatient side into the outpatient realm.
• Transitioning from Pediatric to Adult Services: A Primary Care Based Model: Good primary care doctors are important to young adults with complicated healthcare needs, but many don’t make it a priority to find one after they outgrow their pediatrician. This team is designing tools to help patients find and maintain primary care providers.

Round 2 (2008–2010) projects

Six projects were funded from 2008–2010:

• Anticoagulant Management Program: Improving monitoring and care for children taking “blood thinners”
• Chemotherapy Tracking Project: Computerizing records of cancer patients’ drug regimens
• CHOPLink Implementation, Quality and Patient Safety: Linking clinicians with computer specialists to ensure technology improves care
• Collaborative Clinical Pathways: Establishing a framework for care guidelines to be created more easily
• Intestinal Rehabilitation Program: Coordinating and improving care for children with intestinal failure
• Unit-based Patient Safety Walk-rounds: Providing a forum for safety concerns of families and staff

Round 1 (2006–2008) projects

Ten projects were funded from 2006–2008:

• Access Nurse Advisor and Care Coordination: Nursing roles, systems and tools were created to support patients, families and providers in coordinating both access and care.
• ADHD in Primary Care: A team created computer tools, conferences and other supports to help primary care pediatricians learn and manage patients with ADHD.
• Automated Appointment Reminders: A computerized system was implemented to place standardized reminder calls across specialties to help families remember appointments and support continuity of care.
• Center for Bone Health: A team provides specialized care for children with poor bone health and helped establish international care guidelines.
• Center for Pediatric Eosinophilic Disorders: A team provides specialized care for rare allergic disorders, attracting patients from across the United States and becoming a model for other hospitals.
• Database Development: A team developed databases and Web-based applications to support physicians in research and care.
• Multidisciplinary Cancer Survivorship Program: A team created a monthly clinic where cancer survivors see oncologists, endocrinologists, cardiologists and other specialists, resulting in better care coordination for their many needs.
• Office of Fellowship Programs: A team coordinates and streamlines application, evaluation, curriculum development and accreditation processes for all fellowship programs in the Department of Pediatrics.
• Pediatric Knowledgebase: A team created a Web-based application that combined data about drugs with data about individual patients to help improve outcomes.
• Sudden Cardiac Death Prevention: A cardiologist and staff provide screenings for undiagnosed heart irregularities in children and teens, and training in CPR and automated external defibrillator use for schools.

Learn more about the Chair's Initiatives projects

• The Chair’s Initiatives of the Department of Pediatrics – Round 2
• The Chair’s Initiatives of the Department of Pediatrics – Round 1