About The New England Performance Improvement Program
The New England Performance Improvement (NEPI) network was developed in 2004 as a collaboration among the Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) programs in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts. The network, coordinated through the New England Rural Health Association, utilizes a portion of each state’s Flex grant funds to offer quality improvement resources for Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) and small rural hospitals.
Small, rural hospitals face many challenges due to their small size and limited population of their catchment areas. Yet they are critical parts of the rural landscape. NEPI brings much needed opportunities for training and certification without cost to the small hospitals. Other efforts have also been undertaken by the NEPI group including supporting quality networks in and between states, funding individual hospital improvement projects, and conducting rural-relevant research and trainings.
NEPI Projects and Opportunities
IHI Open School
Expand your skills and fulfill professional requirements with the quality and safety experts at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Through NEPI, rural health professionals have free unlimited access to Open School, a catalog of over 30 courses. Each course takes 1-2 hours to complete and consists of 15-40 minute lessons. Enroll today and earn up to 23.5 contact hours. To become a part of our NEPI group subscription and take advantage of our benefits please contact your state representative: MA, NH, VT or ME. Visit IHI's website here. Read the Quick Start Guide here.
IHI Virtual Learning Hours & Online Courses with Coaching
Expand your skills and fulfill professional requirements with the quality and safety experts at IHI. Through NEPI, rural health professionals have discounted access to a variety of web-based training options including IHI's Virtual Learning Hours and Online Courses with Coaching for Individuals and Groups. These programs are in high demand and resources are limited. Visit IHI's website today to view the courses that are currently available and then contact your states' Flex Program Coordinator to get further instructions to sign-up. Contact - MA, NH, VT or ME.
Professional Certifications - Annual Offerings
Through NEPI, rural health professionals can earn valuable professional certifications including: CPPS Patient Safety, CPHQ Healthcare Quality, CPHRM Healthcare Risk Management, and CIC Infection and Disease Control. Resources are limited for these opportunities. You can read more about the certification options here. If you are interested in these opportunities please complete the application for your state - MA application, NH application, VT application, and ME application.
Trauma Nursing Core Course & Certification
TNCC is widely recognized as the premier course for hospitals and trauma centers worldwide, and it empowers nurses with the knowledge, critical thinking skills, and hands-on training to provide expert care for trauma patients. These courses may be offered through NEPI in your state - resources are limited. To learn more about this course or to find a local training click here. To find out if the TNCC is supported by NEPI in your state contact: MA, NH, VT or ME.
*Please reach out with any other certification or training needs as there may be the opportunity for NEPI to support.
NEPI, coordinated by the New England - RHA is a collaboration between the State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) in MA, ME, NH and VT. This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Rural Medicare Hospital Flexibility (Flex) grant program. MA H54RH00038, VT H5ARH00017, NH 54RH00022 & ME U2W33288 (Up to $25,000 was contributed by each partnering state - there were no additional non-federal funds contributed). This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.