Collaborative Improvement (CI) initiatives are quality-focused efforts designed to bring organizations and teams together to work on a shared improvement goal. At the OPTN, every CI project aligns with a particular area of interest in the donation and transplant community, such as increasing the utilization of moderate-to-high KDPI kidneys, or the recovery of donation after circulatory death (DCD) organs.

The OPTN designs these projects so members can share effective practices with their cohort, who can then implement them, spreading progress and improving the system.

Collaborating to improve

OPTN collaboratives offer focused time and space for a group of participants to work toward a collective aim with identified goals, interventions, and measures. Peer-to-peer sharing of successes and challenges is integral to collaborative projects, and transparency is promoted through a supportive environment. Project learnings and results are shared for broader awareness and understanding. 

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have noted the success of OPTN collaboratives in the donation and transplant community, and recommend a continued emphasis on sharing of effective practices.

What you can expect

OPTN CI projects focus on process and performance improvement rather than innovation, research, or policy development. While each project is designed with a different aim, they all follow the Model for Improvement developed by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Teams use a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) approach to identify areas of improvement, test interventions, track progress, and implement changes.

Collaborative improvement projects offer:

• Dedicated structure and time to engage
• Peer-to-peer collaboration
• Group discussions and webinars
• Improvement Guides
• Customized data dashboards and other resources

Collaborative participants develop teams within their organizations and use project charters to identify opportunities to bring about desired change. They also receive support from the OPTN CI team as well as their peers in the collaborative.

Impact

Learn how other member organizations have seen success through OPTN collaborative improvement:

• Transplant organizations across the country saw increases in donation after circulatory death (DCD) lung transplants and acceptance rates for donated liver, hearts and kidneys after the conclusion of two OPTN Collaboratives.
• Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s pediatric liver transplant program used improvement methodology to decrease time from referral to waitlisting.
• Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center used collaborative improvement to enhance the efficiency of the referral and evaluation process.
• The University of Iowa Organ Transplant Center developed a checklist item for patient consent, increasing the percentage of patients listed for high-KDPI kidneys.
• Thomas Jefferson University Hospital reactivated 34 patients on their waitlist during the nine-month collaborative experience.

What you need to know

• OPTN collaborative improvement projects are voluntary for OPTN members and each project is designed with a target member audience based on the topic.
• Project Guidelines are tailored to specific goals of each effort and outline expectations and deliverables.
• Registration requires the signing of a Participation Agreement, which is a legal document and allows for data transparency among participants.
• An identified Project Lead and Project Sponsor will ensure commitment and accountability as well as organizational support of the effort.

Contact us

Please email ci@unos.org to learn more about collaborating to improve donation and transplant.