Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
The UCSF Gastroenterology Division is committed to providing the highest quality care through a strong focus on quality improvement, patient safety, and continuous learning.
The UCSF Gastroenterology Division is committed to providing the highest quality care through a strong focus on quality improvement, patient safety, and continuous learning.
The GI Division QI Program provides fellows with comprehensive education and hands-on experience in quality improvement and patient safety through didactics in QI methodology, faculty-mentored improvement projects, monthly QI meetings, and Morbidity and Mortality (M&M) conferences. Fellows also have opportunities to pursue formal quality improvement training through programs such as the UCSF Lean Championship, gaining practical experience in process improvement, implementation, and systems-based care.
Fellows participate in GME REFLECT projects and have opportunities to earn incentives for achieving improvement goals. Working closely with faculty mentors, fellows develop and implement innovative QI initiatives addressing meaningful opportunities to improve patient care and healthcare delivery. Many of these projects have been presented at national and international meetings, received awards, and are highlighted at the annual UCSF Health Improvement Symposium.
A cornerstone of our program is a multidisciplinary review of adverse events and opportunities for systems-based improvement. Through monthly GI and Hepatology M&M conferences, faculty and trainees collaborate to identify contributing factors, examine variations in clinical practice and interprofessional communication, and develop strategies to improve care and prevent future events.
The Division also closely monitors clinical and procedural outcomes to ensure high-quality and safe care. Colonoscopy quality and safety are tracked through a dedicated quality dashboard, allowing faculty and fellows to monitor key performance indicators, identify opportunities for improvement, and support consistently high-quality, patient-centered endoscopic care. Our colonoscopy quality indicators consistently exceed national benchmarks.
Together, these efforts foster a culture of safety, transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement across Gastroenterology and Hepatology, with the ultimate goal of delivering safer, more effective, and patient-centered care.
Our People
Aparajita Singh, MD
Director, Quality Improvement
Singh oversees divisional quality and safety initiatives related to patient care and has championed quality improvement and patient safety through her work on the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Quality Leadership Council. Singh has authored book chapters on Quality of Colon Cancer screening.
Nghiem Ha, MD, MAS
Director of Quality and Patient Safety for Transplant Hepatology
Ha also serves on the UCSF Health Clinical Performance Improvement Committee, contributing to efforts to improve the safety, quality, and delivery of care across UCSF Health.
Connie Wang, MD
Director of the GI Fellowship QI Program
Wang leads quality improvement education for GI fellows and provides mentorship and supervision for fellows engaged in quality and patient safety projects. Wang is also a UCSF Lean Champion.
UCSF A3 Guide Template and Handouts
UCSF Health Improvement Symposium Posters