Accreditation and QI, Montana

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In 1995, the Montana State Legislature adopted the Public Health Improvement Act, which created the Governor-appointed Public Health System Improvement Task Force. The task force is comprised of representatives from: the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS); the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ); the Association of Montana Public Health Officials (AMPHO); four local health department representatives (based on population of jurisdiction); tribal health departments; local boards of health; the Indian Health Service (IHS); the Montana Association of Counties (MACO); the Montana Environmental Health Association (MEHA); the Montana Public Health Association (MPHA); and the Montana University System. Task force members work to address public health system issues, including emergency preparedness, informatics, workforce development, and system standards, accountability, and financing—the latter of which guides and monitors assessment, quality improvement (QI), and accreditation activities throughout the state.

QI efforts have been an integral part of the Montana public health system for the past 14 years. In 2000, the task force produced A Strategic Plan for Public Health System Improvement, with one of the five goals focusing on the development and maintenance of accepted public health system standards that improve the quality of services and system accountability. Starting in 2001, local and tribal public health departments conduct assessments of their performance of the core functions and essential services of public health and develop QI plans based on the results.

In 2008, Montana was chosen to participate in the Multi-State Learning Collaborative (MLC) project's third phase, Lead States in Public Health Quality Improvement, which assesses QI strategies to enhance the work of public health departments. DPHHS leads this initiative and hopes to continue its QI efforts as a means to prepare for national accreditation in 2011.

In 2009, the Montanta State legislature passed HB 173, creating a pilot project to help local public health agencies undertake activities related to meeting national accreditation standards and guidelines.

• Learn more about the Public Health System Improvement Task Force and their current activities by visiting this website.
• View HB 173, the act creating a pilot project to help LHDs prepare for national accreditation and the report prepared by participating project sites about their experiences with the pilot project.

• Coming soon!

• Learn about Montana's QI and accreditation preparation activities in a fact sheet highlighting its MLC efforts.
• View a storyboard of the Eastern Collaborative illustrating their QI efforts to improve immunization rates.