Learning Collaborative to Support Continuous Quality Improvement in Newborn Screening

As newborn screening (NBS) programs deal with growing complexities, including adding new disorders to their screening panels, adopting new technologies/screening methods, and workforce shortages, there is a greater need for continuous quality improvement (CQI) to ensure the NBS system is meeting its primary goal of identifying infants with NBS disorders in a timely fashion. In 2019, the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) awarded funding to the Association of Public Health Laboratories’ (APHL) Newborn Screening Technical assistance and Evaluation Program (NewSTEPs) to address CQI in the NBS system through a collaborative, data-driven process. From 2019–2024, NewSTEPs funded 36 quality improvement (QI) projects from a variety of state NBS programs and research centers across the U.S., to address timeliness, detection of out-of-range results, communication of results, and/or confirmation of diagnosis. Thirty-three QI teams completed their projects, and 85% achieved their specified goal outlined in their aim statement. Despite limitations, the QI Projects Collaborative provided NBS programs with funding and resources to begin and sustain quality improvement initiatives. This model of a technical assistance and central resource center for CQI was effective in achieving quality improvements within the national NBS system.