MedStar Health and Med-IQ to Advance Huntington’s Disease Treatment and Care Coordination

Columbia, MD – The MedStar Health Institute for Quality and Safety in collaboration with Med-IQ will provide virtual mentorship and education on Huntington’s disease treatment and care coordination to multidisciplinary clinical teams across the United States (US). The 12-month, landmark initiative will use the Project ECHO methodology as the primary delivery platform for the training. Funding for this initiative was provided by an educational grant from Genentech.

Huntington’s disease is a rare, progressive, debilitating, inherited neurologic disorder characterized by choreiform movements, cognitive impairment, and psychiatric symptoms.  Ideally, individuals with Huntington’s disease should receive comprehensive, multidisciplinary care from physicians, rehabilitation therapists, nurses, mental health professionals, genetic counselors, and social workers. However, providing well-coordinated multidisciplinary care can be challenging for healthcare professionals, particularly when tailoring care for patients who experience worsening symptoms or those with advanced disease. Through this project, MedStar Health and Med-IQ seek to improve Huntington’s disease treatment and care coordination by facilitating monthly telementoring sessions with healthcare professionals from 15 sites across the US.

The project will be led by Dr. Christine Goeschel, assistant vice president, MedStar Health Institute for Quality and Safety and professor of medicine, Georgetown University and Dr. Karen Anderson, a neuropsychiatrist and director of the Huntington’s Disease Care, Education, and Research Center (HDCERC), a joint program between MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and Georgetown University Medical Center, that aims to provide care for affected individuals and their families. "This type of outreach and education is extremely important,” said Dr. Anderson. “There will never be enough specialists to meet all the care needs in Huntington’s disease, but, if we can find creative ways to partner with clinicians outside of specialty centers, we can expand access to care for many of these families." The HDCERC will serve as the lead coordinating site, working closely with Dr. Martha Nance at Hennepin County Medical Center and Dr. Vicki Wheelock at UC Davis Medical Center.

About the MedStar Health Institute for Quality and Safety
The mission of the MedStar Institute for Quality and Safety (MIQS) is to partner with patients, their families, and those who take care of them to improve patient care outcomes and reduce the global burden of preventable harm. Established by MedStar Health, the largest healthcare provider in Maryland and the Washington, D.C., region, MIQS provides a global infrastructure in which leaders, frontline caregivers, patients, and family members jointly develop, educate, assess, and advocate for patient safety and clinical quality initiatives. For more information, visit medstariqs.org.  

Huntington’s Disease Care, Education, and Research Center
The HDCERC is a joint program between MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and Georgetown University Medical Center and is designated as a Huntington Disease Society of America Center of Excellence. It serves people with Huntington’s disease and their family members through a multidisciplinary team including representatives from neuropsychiatry, movement disorders neurology, social work, genetic testing, physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy. It also has an active clinical trials program, enabling patients to participate in novel potential treatment trials for Huntington’s disease. 

About Med-IQ
Med-IQ is a leading provider of clinical and risk management education, consulting services, and quality improvement solutions, empowering individuals at every level of the healthcare delivery system with the knowledge they need to continuously improve provider performance and patient outcomes. Med-IQ delivers unique educational experiences and services across the country and around the world, is extensively published, and is proud to be one of the most award-winning accredited medical education providers in the US.