Late last spring, 2023-24 Chief Resident for Quality and Patient Safety (CRQS) Kathie Zhang, MD, presented her capstone project, Improving diabetic kidney disease screening in a VA resident primary care clinic, to the Veterans Integrated Services Network (VISN) 23 executive leadership team.
In June, Zhang received notification that this presentation had earned her the “Capstone Project of the Year” Gold Star Award from the National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS)—the highest award provided by the CRQS Program—meaning that Zhang’s project was selected as the best across more than 80 CRQSs in 60 VA medical centers.
In discussion following Zhang’s presentation, VISN 23’s Chief Medical Officer Steven C. Julius, MD, commented that the project demonstrates the importance and efficacy of partnerships between the VA system and academic medical centers, effectively improving patient care across the nation.
“He was impressed with how she helped educate primary care providers on diabetic kidney screening across the ICVAHCS, including those providers in community-based outpatient clinics,” Zhang’s mentor, Matthew Soltys, MD, commented.
Executive Director for the VA Midwest Health Care Network Robert P. McDivitt, FACHE, had previously presented Zhang’s capstone project to the United States Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health Shereef Elnahal, MD, expressing that the project effectively highlights the Iowa City VA Health Care System’s (ICVAHCS) journey to becoming a high reliability organization, or HRO.
Zhang also presented this project in Internal Medicine Grand Rounds. Watch it here (login required).
“I was very grateful to have received the VHA National Center for Patient Safety CRQS Program “Capstone Project of the Year” Gold Star Award,” Zhang said. “It’s a tremendous honor to have my project selected. I also found out this project won the Iowa City VAHCS HeRO Award and helped me receive my [LEAN] Yellow Belt Certification. I learned so much from this project and am humbled to receive these recognitions.” Zhang is now in her first year as a renal diseases and hypertension fellow at the University of Colorado.
This is Zhang’s second HeRO Award. Read about the first.
Zhang credits her success this year to the support of many people in various roles:
- Matthew Soltys, MD, CRQS Site Director/Mentor
- Jonathan Chapman, “Lab/Excel Wizard”
- Kim Grimm, Clinical Applications Coordinator
- White Clinic residents, attending physicians, LPNs, RNs
- Kidney Health Evaluation Work Group: Lindsey Fair, Jodi Sweeney, Rebecca Chomycia, Mindie Duke, Lori Konrardy, Jessi Steege, Laura Willoughby
- Quality Patient Safety (QPS): Sarah Taylor, Lynn Boyars, Natalie Good, Viscal Vashistha, Brandon Burgus, Titus Kremer