Standards of Care Committee 

The Standards of Care Committee includes the medical and clinical leadership from the safety net health centers in DC, and plays a vital role in establishing and guiding clinical improvements in their respective centers.  At their monthly meetings, the group is committed to evaluating and improving health care delivery, sharing best practice models, and improving standards of clinical practice.  Meetings are scheduled on the first Wednesday of the month at participating health centers or DCPCA on a rotating basis or via conference calls coordinated by MHDC staff.  SCC participants play a vital role in establishing and guiding clinical improvements in their respective centers.

Many improvement initiatives are broadly available through listserv distribution.  MHDC staff routinely makes use of wide listserv networks to access best practices.  Faculty, whose knowledge is based on national guidelines and for which references are made available, routinely respond to listserv issues and requests.  The listserv can contribute to addressing performance issues for which respective centers don’t have sufficient internal resources or ready access to other expert assistance to improve performance.

In addition to the Standards of Care Committee, many of the health centers belong to the voluntary Clinical Excellence e-Mail Group – an additional forum for addressing performance issues through shared problem-solving and discussion.  When difficult questions or common problems come up in this group, DCPCA can provide experts or additional information to help respond to the need for knowledge or tools.