“One of the greatest benefits of a quality improvement (QI) opportunity like this is to bring together staff (from different agencies or units) and develop a shared understanding of how our work impacts and benefits the entire system” - Kim McCoy, Quality Improvement Supervisor, Office of Performance Improvement, Minnesota Department of Health.

  
The goal of this rapid cycle improvement (RCI) project was to streamline the reporting process of the Minnesota Planning and Performance Measurement Reporting System to improve the content and quality of the data submitted and add more value for state and local stakeholders. RCI PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) is the act of applying the recurring sequence of PDCA in a brief period of time to achieve breakthrough or continuous improvement results quickly. View Improving the Planning and Performance Measurement Reporting System to learn about the 16 recommendations that were developed to make the system more user friendly, effective in providing local health departments with reports they can utilize, and efficient in the time required to enter and correct data in the future.

The Public Health Foundation (PHF) provided RCI technical assistance to the Minnesota Department of Health in spring 2011 and is assisting Maine and Wisconsin with RCI as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Public Health Improvement Initiative (NPHII). 

Contact PHF's consulting and training services if your organization is seeking help with a conducting a RCI or has other quality improvement needs.