Practice improvement activities encourage continuous improvement of patient care. Working through the steps of an improvement activity, you will learn how to measure your practice performance, use data to identify opportunities for improvement, and implement interventions that improve your care processes or patient outcomes. The ABO encourages you to create an improvement activity relevant to your practice type and environment.
If you enjoy working with data, you might wish to…
Discover new improvement opportunities using your AAO IRIS® Registry data. IRIS participants can access a dashboard that provides monthly performance rates on 15 clinical quality measures and 6 quality improvement measures. The data can be used to identify two or three areas for improvement, set specific goals for each, outline the steps you can take to achieve your goals, and evaluate your success by looking at the subsequent monthly performance rates provided to you on your IRIS dashboard. Because the registry data are obtained from your EHR, this option requires no manual data entry.
If you like working in teams, you might look to…
Participate in the Multi-Specialty Portfolio Program through your institution. As long as your institution is a Portfolio Sponsor through the Multi-Specialty Portfolio Program, you can complete a quality improvement activity using this team-based pathway.
If you prefer more structure, you might like to…
Select a diagnosis-based Practice Improvement Module (PIM). PIMs are online activities that facilitate the review of 30 patient records associated with a specific diagnosis. PIMs assist with the evaluation of practice standards, identification of areas for improvement through self-assessment, and a reduction of gaps in quality of care through improved patient outcomes. There are 14 diagnosis-based module options.
If you tend to be creative, you might choose to…
Create a fully customized Self-Directed Practice Improvement Project. Develop your own clinical or non-clinical project to improve your practice. An increasing number of diplomates are taking advantage of the opportunity to satisfy this requirement while addressing issues important to their specific practice environment.
If you no longer provide direct patient care, you should…
Contact the ABO about maintaining certification by declaring Clinically Inactive Status.
Still not sure which option to select? The ABO’s MOC Coordinator, Sheila Refile, is eager to assist and can be reached at moc@abop.org. She has helped thousands of diplomates choose the best improvement pathway for their practice needs and successfully guided them through the project submission steps.