Table 3.
Intervention activities used by clinics
| Related to patient care delivery |
| Develop and/or revise a pre-visit planning form |
| Adopt hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and tobacco treatment protocols |
| Create a rapid medication-adjustment protocol |
| Develop protocols for proactive between-visit contacts with patients |
| Create a care coordinator patient summary tool that includes treatment goals, medication, and medical history and record of communications with the patient |
| Create protocols for care coordinator team communications regarding blood pressure rechecks and referral to the registered nurse care manager |
| Develop an ischemic vascular disease report card for patients |
| Conduct a monthly meeting with a consulting cardiologist to review care plans |
| Create protocols to provide drug samples, referrals to the free clinic, transportation services, etc. |
| Related to providers and staff |
| Compare ischemic vascular disease goal attainment before and after program implementation |
| Repeatedly compare diabetes mellitus and ischemic vascular disease goal achievement |
| Provide monthly, unblinded ischemic vascular disease report cards for all providers |
| Periodically report project updates to clinic services staff |
| Review reports and care plans with physicians and clinic services staff at team meetings |
| Related to staff education and training, tool development |
| Develop a frequently asked questions document that answers questions about ischemic vascular disease and addresses the goals, coding and similar care-improvement project topics |
| Train clinical services staff to use the pre-visit planning tool, registry and patient education materials |
| Conduct tobacco cessation intervention training |
| Provide in-service training for the clinic services staff regarding pathophysiology of ischemic vascular disease and risk factors |
| Develop tip sheets and quizzes for use by the clinical services staff |
| Develop patient education materials, door posters, tobacco folders and similar products |
| Related to information technology |
| Create an ischemic vascular disease registry |
| Update the registry twice weekly |
| Modify and maintain the electronic health record to ensure data accuracy regarding patient status, provider attribution, aspirin documentation, blood pressure recording and diagnostic coding |