ASPIRE Eligibility and Expectations

Sites inside the state of Michigan who wish to participate with ASPIRE and receive Blue Cross Blue Shield Michigan (BMBSM) funding, must meet the following eligibility and expectations. 

Eligibility

The institution must use an electronic health record (EHR) system

The Multicenter Perioperative Outcomes Group (MPOG), the parent organization of ASPIRE, is a comprehensive perioperative patient registry based on electronic healthcare data

Have an onsite anesthesiologist(s) to act as the following:

  • QI Champion: Lead QI efforts
  • IT Champion: Lead technical implementation
  • Principal Investigator (PI): Lead research efforts

Have an IT team at the institution who can implementat MPOG

Developing the data interface requires a significant amount of IT resources.  MPOG staff will provide technical consultation but they cannot be the primary developers for IT implementation

Have or be able to hire a nurse to act as the Anesthesiology Clinical Quality Reviewer (ACQR)

The ACQR will coordinate the data extraction and assist the QI Champion in leading QI efforts

Have an IT team at the institution that can implement the technical infrastructure to participate with MPOG

Developing the data interface requires a significant amount of IT resources.  MPOG staff will provide technical consultation but they cannot be the primary developers for IT implementation

Have, supply or be able to purchase computing equipment components to upload data to the MPOG registry

  • Any additional hardware required, depending on your institutional policies, outside the funding received by BCBSM
  • Dedicated computer for ACQR

Expectations

A institution must join MPOG and complete following membership criteria

Follow the onboarding steps outlined in our Steps to Join page. 

Assign an onsite Quality Improvement Champion

  • The institution or practice group must identify an anesthesiologist who will act as the QI champion at the institution
  • The onsite QI champion must practice at the institution at least one day per week and can effectively lead QI improvements
  • The ASPIRE QI Champion will be a member of the ASPIRE Quality Committee and participate in the ASPIRE collaborative meetings
  • The QI Champion or his/her designee will attend MPOG / ASPIRE conferences

Assign an onsite MPOG Principal Investigator

The PI must be an anesthesiologist who will be the research champion for the institution.  They will represent the research efforts and serve on the research publications committee to help determine the scientific validity of proposals.

Assign an onsite Information Technology Champion

  • The IT Champion must be an anesthesiologist who will oversee the implementation of the EHR interface
  • Assist the ACQR with the following:
    • Mapping and data validation
    • Removal of protected health information from data contribution
    • Review of data diagnostics and case-by-case validation

Identify an individual(s) for Database Administrator (DBA) role(s) and Database Developer Role(s). These may be the same individual(s) or can be several different FTEs depending on the institution IT structure.

Database Administrator(s) (DBA)

  • Responsible for acquiring server
  • Responsible for setting up and maintaining the local MPOG database

Database Developer(s)

  • The institution Database Developer(s) will collaborate with the coordinating center developer to write or configure extracts to MPOG specifications
  • Verify the quality of the data with Institution QI Champion and ACQR
  • Assure timely submissions according to MPOG specifications

Select and hire an ACQR

The ACQR(s) will be dedicated to ASPIRE and will be provided with:

  • Office space, adequate for protecting patient health information that may be available to the ACQR;
  • Phone, fax, copier access;
  • Computing workstation with access to the internet
  • Necessary access to medical records and patient information (paper or electronic) for collection of ASPIRE data elements

Expectations 

  • Must be a registered nurse preferably with perioperative care background such as post anesthesia care unit (PACU) experience
  • Must successfully complete the ASPIRE training and participate in on-going training, conferences and conference calls
  • Participate in ASPIRE training sessions, MPOG/ASPIRE collaborative meetings, and maintain regular contact (email, phone, conference calls, webinars, etc.) with the ASPIRE coordinating center
  • Institution agrees to provide funding (travel, lodging if necessary) for the ACQR to attend ASPIRE Collaborative meetings, ACQR training sessions or ACQR Meetings
  • ASPIRE strongly recommends identifying an ACQR back-up in the event that the ACQR cannot perform the program requirements.  Gaps in data collection will be handled according to ASPIRE policy and may affect funding support from BCBSM
  • The ACQR must be an employee of the institution or anesthesiology practice group.  The institution may not hire an outside vendor to perform the duties of the ACQR

Collaborate with coordinating center and other participating sites

  • The participating staff is expected to respond to coordinating center queries and requests in a timely manner
  • The institution should actively participate in reporting progress and outcomes
  • The institution will work closely with the coordinating center and the other sites to develop a QI Agenda for the ASPIRE program using the aggregate registry data
  • The institution will work closely with the Coordinating Center to develop a site-specific QI Agenda using data from their facility’s data in comparison to the aggregate Michigan registry data
  • Sharing best practices with other sites is essential to the success of the program

For any inquiries please email

mpog-admin@med.umich.edu