The California Improvement Network (CIN) is a project of the California Health Care Foundation and managed by Healthforce Center at UCSF, an organization dedicated to helping health care organizations drive and navigate change.

What is CIN?

The California Improvement Network (CIN) is a learning and action network that aims to advance the quadruple aim by identifying and spreading better ideas for care delivery, and by strengthening relationships between commercial and safety-net provider and health plan communities in California.

CIN is a CHCF project managed by Healthforce Center at UCSF, an organization dedicated to helping health care organizations drive and navigate change.

What makes CIN unique?

CIN is the only community in California that brings together commercial and safety-net provider organizations, health plans, and quality-improvement (QI) instructional hubs.

How does CIN accelerate the spread of innovations in quality improvement?

CIN accelerates the spread of QI innovation through:

  • Connection: Partner meetings, affinity groups, and other opportunities to build and strengthen connections among partners and members to increase quality improvement capacity.
  • Learning: Webinars, workshops, and resources that advance knowledge and skills for QI leaders.
  • Action: Partners and members of the network act on what they have learned, and identify and implement quality improvement initiatives in their organizations.

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New & Noteworthy

August 10, 2021

CIN Webinar — Buying Health for North Carolinians: Addressing Nonmedical Drivers of Health at Scale

August 10, 2021
During this webinar attendees learned how North Carolina is designing, implementing, and evaluating a statewide Healthy Opportunities initiative and how those efforts can be adapted to California through CalAIM.
August 19, 2021

CIN Webinar — Washington’s Statewide Community Care Coordination and SWACH’s HealthConnect Hub

Health Equity, Workforce
August 19, 2021
This webinar helped attendees learn from the efforts in Washington in developing an infrastructure for integrating community-based care coordination programs that improve access, equity, and whole-person health.
Publication

CIN Connections, Summer 2021 — Caring and Sharing: Supporting the Primary Care Workforce

June 2021
Workforce
In this issue of CIN Connections, learn about strategies from health care leaders as they wrestle with increased levels of burnout, trauma, and moral injury among the primary care workforce. Hear about multimodal approaches to building a culture of well-being — creating a workplace where it’s okay to not be okay, to talk about feelings, and to get support.
Publication

CIN Connections, Spring 2021 — Addressing Racism to Improve Health

March 2021
Health Equity
In this issue of CIN Connections, CIN partners explore how racism drives health inequities on many levels and leads to higher mortality, strategies to ensure equity, and how to develop an anti-racist organization.
Project

CIN Resource Page: Building a Resilient Primary Care Workforce

This California Improvement Network resource page provides curated tools to better understand the causes and consequences of burnout, secondary trauma, and moral injury and contains ideas and practices for better supporting the primary care workforce.
May 5, 2021

CIN Partner Meeting — Building Back Better: A Resilient Primary Care Workforce

Workforce
May 5, 2021
This CIN partner meeting explores how health organizations can gain insights and learn about successful strategies for building a strong and resilient primary care workforce.
Publication

CIN Connections, Fall 2020 — Emerging Innovations: Health Care During a Pandemic

November 2020
In this issue of CIN Connections, learn how Dr. Mitch Katz, president and CEO, NYC Health + Hospitals, adapted its health care delivery model in the surge of the pandemic in New York City, and how CIN partners have adapted their work in the midst of massive change.
Project

CIN Resource Page: Integrating Equity in Social Needs Efforts

Health Equity
This California Improvement Network resource page provides curated tools and strategies for centering equity in efforts to address social needs that impact health.
March 18, 2021

CIN Workshop — How to Lead by Asking Effective Questions

March 18, 2021 - March 23, 2021
This workshop will offer participants a chance for introductory learning and practice asking effective questions to support problem-solving thinking and leadership.
November 5, 2020

CIN Discussion: Leading with Empathy — Organizational Strategies for Effective Leadership and Patient Care

November 5, 2020
This webinar recording on Empathic Inquiry helps leaders reframe organizational engagement with staff by focusing on respect, relationship building, and power sharing.
September 3, 2020

CIN Webinar — Listening to Connect: Patient-Centered Social Needs Screening Using Empathic Inquiry

September 3, 2020
This webinar recording on Empathic Inquiry helps guide professionals in developing a conversational approach in social needs screening that promotes partnership, affirmation, and patient engagement.
August 26, 2020

CIN Webinar — Using Virtual Reality to Improve Patient Care

Telehealth, Behavioral Health
August 26, 2020
This webinar recording on implementing virtual reality in clinical settings also provides a deep dive into how this technology can be embedded into an interdisciplinary pain management program.
August 12, 2020

CIN Webinar — Extended Reality Technology Treatment for Behavioral Health

Telehealth, Behavioral Health
August 12, 2020
This webinar recording with Kim Bullock, MD, Stanford University professor, neuropsychiatrist, and clinical extended reality researcher, covers the theory, evidence, application, challenges, and potential applications of extended reality for treating behavioral health conditions.
Publication

CIN Connections, Spring 2020 — Foundations for Health

April 2020
Workforce, Maternal Health
This issue of CIN Connections features tips on how to be a resilient leader, make strategic decisions around social needs interventions, as well as lessons on building partnerships across the health care landscape.
External Resource

COVID-19 Health Workforce Surge Planning

Healthforce Center at UCSF has created quick turnaround recommendations and other rapid response resources that support the accelerated scale-up of the health workforce to address the COVID-19 crisis and help you in your work.
February 4, 2020

CIN Webinar — Value-Based Payment Readiness Assessment

February 4, 2020
This webinar recording provides an overview of Health Quality Partners' Managed Medi-Cal Value-Based Payment (VBP) Readiness Assessment.
Publication

CIN Programming: A Roadmap for 2020–21

April 2020
Through a collaborative design process with CIN partners over the last several months, the network has identified three priority areas for learning and action in 2020–21.
CHCF Blog

How San Francisco Health Leaders Use ‘Humble Inquiry’ to Improve Performance

December 19, 2019
Lisa Golden, Jonathan Sears
Workforce
One of California's largest public health departments is teaching its staff the art and science of asking good questions.
Publication

CIN Connections, Fall 2019 — Improving Care for California’s Future

October 2019
Health Care Costs
This issue of CIN Connections features insights on California's policy landscape from California Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly and California Senator Holly Mitchell, tips on building a new model for complex care, and CIN partners' future goals in tackling CIN priority areas. 
Publication

CIN Connections, Summer 2019 — Leadership for Continuous Change and Improvement

July 2019
Workforce
With rising costs, increasing burnout, and a rapidly changing environment, health care leaders may feel like they’re facing an uphill battle. This summer 2019 issue of CIN Connections features tips, advice, and actionable information for health care leaders to effectively lead change in their organizations.
Collection

CIN Webinar Series: The ROI for Addressing Social Needs in Health Care

CIN's webinar series The ROI for Addressing Social Needs in Health Care explores organizations' efforts to assess and address homelessness, food insecurity, and social isolation in an effort to improve clinical outcomes and control total cost of care.
Publication

CIN Toolkit: Three Strategies to Help Primary Care Teams Treat Substance Use Disorders

January 2019
Crystal Eubanks
Behavioral Health
This toolkit offers proven strategies, best practices, and tools for primary care teams to treat substance use disorders.
Publication

Fundamental Concepts for Managing Risk and Understanding the Total Cost of Care

April 2019
Sandra Newman
Health Care Costs
This CIN resource is designed to serve as a primer for anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of health payment models in California and nationally. It focuses on concepts and terminology related to value-based payment models and to health care delivery models and systems. 
Collection

CIN Resources: Managing Financial Risk and Total Cost of Care

Health Care Costs
The California Improvement Network offers tips, tools, and background information on total cost of care as it relates to quality and outcomes.
Collection

CIN Resources: Behavioral Health Integration

Behavioral Health
The California Improvement Network offers tips, tools, and ideas to better integrate behavioral health and primary care.
Collection

CIN Collection – Making the Case to Address Social Needs

How do the places where people live, work, and play affect their health, and what role should the health care system take in addressing social needs? CIN provides resources, tools, and tips to take action.
Collection

Preventing Burnout — CIN Collection

The California Improvement Network offers tips, tools, and ideas to reduce provider and staff burnout, and promote well-being at health care organizations.

Managing Partners

Christine Castano
VP Medical Director, Optum
Nicole Howard
Executive Vice President, Health Quality Partners
James Kyle
Medical Officer, L.A. Care Health Plan
Lloyd Kuritsky
Medical Director, Sharp Community Medical Group
Laura Miller
Chief Medical Officer, Community Health Center Network
Robert Moore
Chief Medical Officer, Partnership HealthPlan of California
Sunita Mutha
CIN Managing Partner and Director, Healthforce Center at UCSF
Kathryn Phillips
Senior Program Officer, Improving Access
Michelle Wong
Director, Kaiser Permanente

Program Office Team

Rebecca Hargreaves
Program Office Lead, Healthforce Center at UCSF
Marie Hubbard
Program Manager, Healthforce Center at UCSF
James Koontz
Program Assistant, Healthforce Center at UCSF
Melissa Lucas
Marketing & Communications Manager, Healthforce Center at UCSF
Sunita Mutha
CIN Managing Partner and Director, Healthforce Center at UCSF
Christina Travlos
Program Associate, Healthforce Center at UCSF