Arizona Rural Quality Network Group

(ARQNG)  

Join the Arizona Rural Quality Network Group! 

Upcoming conference call:

Wednesday, May 23, 2007, 11:00 a.m.-Noon

Please contact Joyce Hospodar at (520) 626-2432 or e-mail her at hospodar@u.arizona.edu for details.

In April 2003, four small rural hospitals in Southeastern Arizona (less than 25 beds with limited resources) developed and initiated a collaboration called the Southeastern Arizona Hospital Work Group. The founding members included Northern Cochise Community Hospital, Willcox; Southeast Arizona Medical Center, Douglas; Copper Queen Community Hospital, Bisbee; and Benson Hospital, Benson. Driven by their commitment to quality care and determination to overcome the challenges specific to small rural hospitals, this group has evolved to the formation of a state-wide quality group called the Arizona Rural Quality Network Group (ARQNG).

ARQNG is a multidisciplinary collaboration of clinical and quality improvement team members working together from critical access hospitals (CAH) and those eligible for Small Hospital Improvement Programs (SHIP) to create and implement interventions directed toward improving the quality of care provided to patients in small volume rural hospitals throughout Arizona. The quarterly teleconferences focus on networking, sharing, problem solving, and developing/ modifying interventions.

The specific objectives of ARQNG are as follows:

• Promote the partnership between the CAHs, SHIPs, other larger facilities, Health Services Advisory Group, Rural Health Office, and other Arizona health care organizations.
• Share information on clinical topics, care processes, and quality improvement projects.
• Communicate successes, barriers, and lessons learned within Arizona’s acute care settings.
• Collaborate in the development and implementation of materials, tools, and interventions to improve the quality of care.
• Promote the reduction of medication/system failures.
• Identify means for improving the timeliness of a patient transfer from the emergency room to a higher-level hospital.
• Collaborate on enhancing the communication system between urban hospitals and the rural hospitals concerning patients returning to their rural respective hospital/community.

There are over 30 hospitals invited each quarter to participate by telephone in a discussion covering topics identified by members.

If you have any questions or would like to participate in the ARQNG quarterly conference calls, call Joyce Hospodar at (520) 626-2432 or e-mail her at hospodar@u.arizona.edu.