• Blood Thinner Clearance Tracking and Follow-up

    The surgery center's management and Quality Assurance (QA) Committee noticed a significant disparity in requests for pre-procedure blood thinner clearances (BTCs) for patients receiving anticoagulation therapy and responses from prescribing physicians.

  • Eliminating Hot Biopsy Forceps for Diminutive Polyps

    Our newest improvement project was to eliminate the use of hot biopsy forceps for diminutive polyps. Over the years, the number of providers using this method has decreased; however, there were still a few using it.

  • Safe Exiting From the Building

    A gap was identified in quality of care around a safe exit from the building. The focus of our study surrounded optimal patient safety and satisfaction in relation to the discharge exit.

  • No-Show Quality Improvement Project

    The practice has seen an increased percentage of “no-shows” across all physicians over the past several months. “No-show” means any patient who fails to arrive for a scheduled procedure appointment.

  • Appropriate Scheduling of Patients in an Ambulatory Surgery Center

    Appropriate scheduling of endoscopy patients in an ASC is critical in providing safe quality care. Rescheduling due to patient complexity is costly to the patients, families and ASC.

  • Adenoma Detection Rate and Artificial Intelligence

    To increase ADR while integrating AI-assisted colonoscopy into patient care.

  • Colonoscopy Preparation

    During physician peer review meetings in January 2021, physicians reported a significant increase in incomplete and aborted colonoscopies due to suboptimal bowel cleanses in the past three months.

  • Improving Documentation of Cecal Intubation

    Complete and accurate documentation is an important part of medical care. [Our endoscopy center] aims to provide and document care that meets the recommendations of the ASGE and ACG, as well as others.

  • Endoscopy Staff GI Knowledge

    It was observed by the endoscopy nurse manager that the endoscopy unit staff lacked general gastroenterology knowledge due to previously working in other medical fields, thus the gap in quality care was staff being unknowledgeable.

  • Case 12: Hepatic Cyst

    28-year-old female with a history of laparoscopic cholecystectomy one year ago presents to the GI clinic for follow-up of a possible “cyst on her liver.” At the time of her cholecystectomy, an ultrasound of the gallbladder and biliary tree was performed.

  • Case 11: Acute Small Bowel Obstruction

    A 48-year-old male with a medical history for hyperlipidemia and appendectomy several years ago presents to the emergency room (ER) with a chief complaint of nausea and vomiting.

  • Case 10: Schatzki Ring

    A 54-year-old male with a medical history of hypertension and GERD presents to the GI clinic with a chief complaint of dysphagia for six months. It is intermittent and only to solids, most commonly when eating beef or chicken.

  • Case 9: Microscopic Colitis

    A 54-year-old female with a medical history significant for GERD presents to the GI clinic with a chief complaint of diarrhea. It began six weeks ago. She has four to eight watery, non-bloody bowel movements per day.

  • Case 8: Acute Uncomplicated Diverticulitis

    A 56-year-old male with a past medical history significant for type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension presents to the GI clinic with a chief complaint of abdominal pain for four days.

  • Case 7: Achalasia

    A 40-year-old woman presented for evaluation of dysphagia. Symptoms began three years ago and recently worsened. She has dysphagia to solids and liquids with almost every meal. She describes a sensation of “food or liquids stacking up in my esophagus.”