The Boston University Center for Continuing Education (BU CCE) collaborates with Boston Medical Center’s (BMC) Department of Quality and Patient Safety to lead performance improvement (PI) initiatives. The partnership, formed in 2015, led to the creation of the QI Hub, which promotes a culture of healthcare quality improvement through education, mentorship, and administrative support. The QI Hub has grown to include 24 faculty members across 10 specialties and supports educational programs, mentoring, and coaching for Boston University, BMC, and Boston HealthNet Community Health Centers.

Through our American Board of Medical Specialties Multi-Specialty Portfolio Program Sponsor Status, we provide Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Part IV credits for physicians and Certification Maintenance credit for physician assistants. BU CCE also offers Performance Improvement CME (PI-CME) credits and nursing continuing professional development (PI-NCPD) credits to healthcare professionals, including medical and pharmacy residents.

Since 2018, the QI Hub has offered a certification framework, allowing employees to attain Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum status based on their proficiency in quality improvement. This certification, jointly granted by BMC and BU’s Center for Continuing Education, affirms an employee’s skills in problem-solving, data analysis, and leading quality improvement initiatives. Since its launch, 271 employees have been certified.

The QI Hub also offers experiential learning programs. One of its flagship programs, the Improvement Leadership Academy, trains staff and clinicians through a longitudinal curriculum in quality improvement. As of 2023, 117 staff members have completed the program, leading 102 projects and achieving Bronze or Silver certification status. The QI Hub’s Leading Change Collaborative, launched in 2020, provided similar learning opportunities to medical directors and emerging leaders, with 25 participants completing the program and attaining Silver Status certification. However, the collaborative has since been merged into the Improvement Leadership Academy.

On a national level, BU CCE has partnered with Medical Education Companies on several quality improvement initiatives. A notable project focused on improving glycemic control and weight management for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) at BMC and two Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Results from one FQHC showed an increase in the percentage of patients with A1c levels below 9% from 75.6% to 83.2% between baseline and 2023. At BMC, improvements were also seen, with the percentage of patients with A1c levels below 9% rising from 76.3% to 77.3%, and additional process improvements in prescribing GLP-1 receptor agonists and SGLT2 inhibitors.

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