Clinical Practice Guidelines Work Group Facilitator

ProSidian seeks a Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) Work Group Facilitator to support Healthcare Evidence-Based Practice Work Groups (EBPWG) and other leading professional organizations, has been developing clinical practice guidelines on behalf of a federal agency that provides near-comprehensive healthcare services to eligible military veterans at medical centers and outpatient clinics located throughout the country and a Dept. of the federal Govt. charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the Govt. concerned directly with national security and the United States Armed Forces.  The CPG Work Group Facilitator guides discussions of the topics laid out in group meetings and/or project/taskforce initiatives agenda, with the purpose of moving the team towards a common goal. 

A skilled CPG Work Group Facilitator fosters collaboration and teamwork and manages conflict among team members, subject professionals, clinicians, stakeholders, and participants.  The ProSidian Consultant | CPG Work Group Facilitator will coordinate, lead, and support all phases of Clinical Work Group Meetings to ensure progression and completion of work as well as supports the Global Project Lead (GPL) And Project Team, and is accountable for the quality, timeliness, and effectiveness of group meetings and/or project/taskforce initiatives and ends with delivery of the final outputs that achieve stated mission objectives.

The initiative to develop Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) for medical injuries /conditions and diseases specifically impacting military personnel and beneficiaries was mandated by Congress in 1998.  The VA and DoD jointly host CPG development conferences for each condition or disease as directed by the Health Executive Committee (HEC). Govt. medical providers convene at these meetings to determine optimal processes for the treatment of these conditions. Once optimal treatment modalities have been identified via the VA/DOD CPG, the U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) is tasked to organize the development of strategies to support VA/DOD CPG implementation.

The job of a “CPG Work Group Facilitator” is more of the "conductor" than a participant throughout the Program Period.  The CPG Work Group Facilitator shall serve as a consultant to clients across private companies, fortune 1,000 enterprises, and Govt. agencies of all sizes.  You direct the flow and energy throughout the program period.  You observe participants' body language, listening carefully to what they say, drawing out those members who are not speaking, and gently moving group meetings and/or project/taskforce initiatives along when a member monopolizes a conversation.

CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES: Used in health care to improve patient care as a potential solution to reduce inappropriate variations in care.  |  Should be evidence based, incorporate patient input, as well as explicit criteria to ensure internal validity.  |  May be viewed as an educational tool to provide information in shared decision making.  |  The use of guidelines must always be in the context of a health care provider's clinical judgment in the care of a particular patient. 

CURRENT GUIDELINES DEVELOPED:  Chronic Disease in Primary Care | Mental Health | Military Related | Pain | Rehabilitation | Women's Health

Implementation of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines is one strategy embraced to improve care by reducing variation in practice and systematizing “best practices”.  Guidelines address patient cohorts, serve to reduce errors, and provide consistent quality of care and utilization of resources throughout and between health care systems.  Guidelines are also cornerstones for accountability and facilitate learning and the conduct of research.

IMPLEMENTATION PRODUCTS ARE ACCOMPLISHED VIA TOOLKITS:   The requirement is to facilitate the development of Clinical Practice Guideline Toolkits for the support and implementation of the CPGs recommendations for care and service on the management of various selected health conditions used within the Dept. of Veteran Affairs (VA) and Dept. of Defense (DoD).

• Approx. five VA/DOD CPGs are developed and published each year. Each VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) requires one Toolkit which contains approximately five tools which results in approximately 25 tools produced per each contractual year. 
• Facilitation of meetings is required to determine and develop the content of the Toolkits.
• The Toolkit Development Conferences are follow-on requirements to the development of the VA/DoD CPGs.
• The requirement is for a subject matter expert to facilitate and support requirements to reach working group consensus in determining the appropriate data for use in the development of each CPG Toolkit.
• Toolkits include affliction-specific tools to disseminate information to medical provider staff as well as educational products for patients and families of the patients.

The CPG Work Group Facilitator shall work with and help groups, such as business teams, advisory boards, emergency action task forces, working groups, strategy planning teams, and community organizations with representatives who may have differences in perspectives, cultures, backgrounds, and shaped viewpoints to solve problems and improve operations through a structured approach to strategic solutions.  The CPG Work Group Facilitator serves as the process manager for getting past obstacles, so the group can communicate effectively.  Running a successful meeting will help clients and stakeholders operate efficiently, provide experience for all members, and drive towards successful outcomes from group meetings and/or project/taskforce initiatives. 

• Coordination/Logistics Processes – support creation and/or revision of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) and manage/support all aspects of meeting scheduling (location, venue and time) in accordance with established guidelines, standards, and principles.
• Topic/Agenda Acceptance – work with groups to clarify meeting content, objectives and to establish ground rules that govern behavior. Review information from previous meetings and develop agenda/desired outcomes.  Follow up on action items. 
• Group Meeting Agendas – develop agendas (adequately estimated for time frames) that will achieve stated goals and objectives.
• Client Conference/Program Participation – select appropriate methods and tools that will enable participants to achieve results.
• Ongoing Course Adjustments – consultative facilitation while working in close partnership with clients, meeting participants, and stakeholders throughout the program period; making the best possible use time and resources; correctly observing interests and developments, and working to enhance the process and achieve desired results.
• Dynamic Process Interactions – Recognize that group meetings and/or project/taskforce initiatives are dynamic processes and that new insights and ideas can emerge that could significantly shift original intentions. 
• Leadership Coaching/Support Initiatives – work to ensure successful implementation of primary objectives through the facilitation of cross-functional meetings and internal Dept. level meetings. 
• Follow-Up Deliverables – work to improve the contributions from meeting participants; coordinate meeting schedules; provide assistance with creation of agendas; facilitate meetings; distribute meeting minutes, and maintain task and issues logs.
• Post-Event Hot Wash / After-Action Analysis / After Action Reports – after the session is over, a complete report describing everything that went on in group meetings and/or project/taskforce initiatives shall be prepared.  All action items agreed to by the participants are documented as part of this report.
• Public Involvement And Communications – foster collaboration and communication through open, ongoing and effective maintenance of knowledge repositories to include correspondence, presentations, meeting summaries, work products, and responses to information requests by ensuring distribution of requested information. 
• Document Retention And Knowledge Repositories – live capture of meeting discussion/decisions in Microsoft word or excel is also expected.  Maintain a library per established guidelines as a repository of related information co-located with the clients, program leadership, sub-group chairs, meeting participants, and other stakeholders as the official record required (i.e. Per Federal Advisory Committee Act - FACA) for an information repository.
• Program/Recommendations Implementation – help participants reach decisions and accomplish goals. Help facilitate group meetings and/or project/taskforce initiatives, gain consensus, and manage the execution of action items, recommendations, and resolutions through counsel and support to clients, program leadership, sub-group chairs, meeting participants, and other stakeholders.