The Clinical Quality Fellowship Program: Developing Clinical Quality Leadership in the Greater New York Region

Authors: Rohit Bhalla, Hillary S. Jalon, Lorraine Ryan 

The Institute of Medicine has noted that a key factor underlying patient safety problems in the United States is the paucity of quality and safety training programs for clinicians. The Greater New York Hospital Association and United Hospital Fund created the Clinical Quality Fellowship Program (CQFP) to develop quality improvement leaders in the New York region, and this article, published in the American Journal of Medical Quality on July 14, 2017, describes the CQFP's structure and curriculum, program participants' perceived value, improvement projects, and career paths.

Eighty-seven participants completed the CQFP from 2010 to 2014, and capstone project categories included inpatient efficiency, transitional care, and hospital infection. Fifty-six percent of participants obtained promotions following program completion. A training program emphasizing diverse curricular elements, varied learning approaches, and applied improvement projects increased participants' self-perceived skills, generated diverse improvement initiatives, and was associated with career advancement.

CQFP is an effective and potentially generalizable program that provides necessary and dynamic knowledge, along with practical tools and techniques, for participants to become leaders in quality improvement and patient safety.

The authors are Rohit Bhalla, MD, MPH, Stamford Health; Hillary S. Jalon, MS, OneCity Health, NYC Health + Hospitals and formerly with United Hospital Fund; and Lorraine Ryan, MPA, Esq., Greater New York Hospital Association.