The Ohio Coverdell Stroke Quality Improvement Project (QIP)
The Ohio Coverdell Stroke Quality Improvement Project (QIP) is a new QI initiative sponsored by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), focused on improving stroke care through enhanced data collection and strengthening linkages between clinical and community resources for those at the highest risk of stroke.
The ODH program is part of the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program and is funded primarily by a grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The eighty-five Ohio Coverdell hospitals utilize Electronic Health Record (EHR) data and the American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines – Stroke (GWTG-Stroke) platform. These tools support hospitals in achieving and maintaining stroke recognition, driving internal quality improvement, and reporting outcomes to the Ohio Department of Health, which then shares data with the CDC. Ohio Coverdell has historically focused on acute stroke care, this QIP expands efforts to include ambulatory care settings to foster clinical-community linkages to address underlying social determinants of health impacting stroke risk-factors.
The project will recruit two hospitals and four ambulatory sites to pilot quality improvement strategies. Participating organizations will benefit from expert coaching, structured QI activities, and ongoing feedback through data reports. Recruitment will target census tracts in Lucas, Montgomery, Hamiliton, and Franklin counties.
The Ohio Coverdell QIP aims to enhance stroke care quality and improve health outcomes for patients across the state through the implementation of QI activities in acute and ambulatory settings.