Supporting our Funders and Health Care Communities

Since April, Stratis Health’s quality improvement work has pivoted to address the extreme challenges presented by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We’re working with our funders to best use our programs, resources, and relationships in redirected ways to support health care organizations in addressing the pandemic. 

Convening to problem solve

Stratis Health is bringing together health care organizations, leaders, and clinicians to share approaches to address COVID-related challenges in numerous ways, including:

  • In response to community needs to address cross-setting communication and learning, we launched a weekly (now monthly) “Regional COVID-19 Virtual Open Forum” in our Medicare Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO) role, as part of Superior Health Quality Alliance. Hundreds of clinicians, health care organizations, and community-based organizations across the care continuum come together on these calls to share new and emerging information and tools. View the YouTube playlist of COVID-19 Open Forums.
  • Our existing Virtual Health Group of Minnesota health system telehealth directors meets with increased frequency to discuss strategies around the new telehealth guidelines and approaches during the pandemic and respond to short snapshot surveys. These surveys enable us to assess changes in telehealth use and needs in Minnesota quickly.
  • Stratis Health and the Minnesota Network of Hospital and Palliative Care, with many stakeholders’ support, launched the Serious Illness Action Network in Minnesota to address the urgent needs in serious illness care related to COVID-19.
  • Leveraged existing Minnesota and national forums to convene learning and discussion sessions, which specifically address COVID-19, including Stratis Health’s Community Outreach Committee, the national RQITA Rural Quality Advisory Council, and the Minnesota Shared Decision-Making Collaborative.

Sensemaking and information sharing

Stratis Health is keeping health care organizations informed about resources and policy changes by disseminating and translating federal agency guidance on topics like telehealth and quality reporting. We’re finding answers to provider questions and directing people to the best available resources. Working with our federal agency partners, we’ve been mobilized to distribute national messages to our extensive Minnesota and national health care provider networks. We’re also keeping agency partners informed of the issues our providers are experiencing.

Developing resources to fill gaps

Stratis Health is developing COVID-related resources when gaps are identified.

Stratis Health’s non-crisis quality improvement work continues with the many health care professionals not engaged on the frontline of this emergency.