During the Implementation Period, PA PQC Healthcare Teams are expected to complete the following activities for each initiative in which they are enrolled with guidance from their PA PQC quality improvement coach:

  • Form, structure, and expand your multi-disciplinary PA PQC healthcare team
  • Prioritize the initiative-specific key interventions to adopt based on your current condition
  • Develop and implement a quality improvement plan and protocols with your team to translate the key interventions into practice, making continuous improvements
  • Complete and submit on  a quarterly basis:
    • Quality Improvement reports; (Milestone 2 below)
    • Surveys; (Milestone 3 below)
    • Data (Milestone 4 below) 

These actions will be completed for each initiative joined.

Milestone Activity  Frequency Due Date
Milestone 1
  • Engage meaningfully with your PA PQC QI coach at least once per quarter:

Examples of engagement might include:

  • Incorporating your coach into your Healthcare Team meeting
  • 1-on-1 meeting with your coach
  • Other engagement opportunities as agreed upon by your team and your coach
Quarterly

July 31, 2025
October 31, 2025
January 31, 2026
April 30, 2026

Not sure what counts? Talk to your QI coach!

Milestone 2 Submit an initiative-specific Quality Improvement (QI) Report Out, showing work related to implementing Key Intervention(s)  Quarterly July 31, 2025
October 31, 2025
January 31, 2026
April 30, 2026
Milestone 3 Complete initiative-specific PA PQC quarterly survey Quarterly July 31, 2025
October 31, 2025
January 31, 2026
April 30, 2026
Milestone 4 Submit initiative-specific aggregated data for the PA PQC process and outcome measure(s) through the Life QI Data Portal Quarterly July 31, 2025
October 31, 2025
January 31, 2026
April 30, 2026
Milestone 5  Communicate and celebrate your team’s impact in the PA PQC within your hospital and community Quarterly July 31, 2025
October 31, 2025
January 31, 2026
April 30, 2026

 

Minimum Criteria for Staying Involved in the PA PQC During an Implementation Period

The PA PQC recognizes it takes time to achieve the five quarterly milestones listed above during the Implementation Period. As a result, the PA PQC also has a minimum set of criteria for staying involved in the PA PQC during the Implementation Period. This includes all of the following:

• Submitting a QI Report Out at least once during a six-month period;
• Submitting at least one quarterly initiative-specific survey during a six-month period;
• Engaging in a meaningful two-way interaction with your Quality Improvement Coach at least once during a six-month period; AND
• Submitting at least one quarter’s worth of aggregated data for the PA PQC process or outcome measures during a six-month period.

If the minimum requirements are not met, the hospital team will be on pause and will not be counted as a PA PQC Healthcare Team. Additionally, the hospital team will not be eligible for Designations. Re-engagement plans can be discussed further with your coach and PA PQC leadership.

To further support the PA PQC healthcare teams, the teams have the option to participate in the following:

  • PA PQC Virtual Meetings
  • PA PQC Annual In-Person Meeting
  • PA PQC Regional Meetings for peer-to-peer learning

Sustainment Period

The sustainment period is a one-year period following active implementation. During sustainment, teams are expected to continue to submit and monitor data and surveys to ensure all activities that were implemented continue to maintain or improve when active work is no longer occurring.