The CMS Quality Improvement Organization Program published its 2015 QIO Program Progress Report, which highlights key events and milestones achieved in the past year and provides extensive recruitment data for quality improvement initiatives.
Fourteen regional Quality Innovation Network QIOs work with providers, community partners and beneficiaries on multiple data-driven quality improvement initiatives to improve patient safety, reduce harm, engage patients and families, improve clinical care and reduce healthcare disparities.
1. The QIN-QIOs had a banner year in 2015, exceeding recruitment targets for six initiatives between Aug. 1, 2014, and Oct. 31, 2015.
2. For instance, QIN-QIOs recruited more than 2,000 home health agencies and more than 3,000 clinicians to implement evidence-based practices to improve cardiovascular health.
3. More than 200 communities participating in QIN-QIOs worked to reduce hospital admissions and readmissions and improve care coordination, potentially affecting more than 11.5 million beneficiaries.
4. The programs also engaged more than 6,200 beneficiaries and more than 1,900 lay diabetes educators in a diabetes self-management education or training course. Roughly 1,000 clinicians were also recruited as part of the diabetes care effort.
5. QIN-QIOs recruited nearly 1,000 hospitals in an initiative to focus on patient-centered, comprehensive infection reduction targeting central line-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, Clostridium difficile and ventilator-associated events.
6. The programs recruited more than 300 hospitals and 8,200 clinicians to agree to use health IT to decrease paperwork, improve access to medical records and facilitate care coordination among providers.
7. QIN-QIOs worked to improved immunization rates for influenza, pneumonia and shingles among minority and underserved populations in 37 states and territories nationwide. More than 50 hospitals, 600 home health agencies and 3,800 clinicians joined the effort in 2015.
8. More than 3 million beneficiaries, 500 pharmacies, 300 hospitals and 100 nursing homes joined the QIN-QIOs' initiative to improve medication safety and reduce or prevent adverse drug events via education and patient engagement.
9. In 2015, QIN-QIOs created a National Nursing Home Quality Care Collaborative to ensure every nursing home resident has the highest quality of care, and recruited more than 7,700 nursing homes.
10. Quality reporting and physician feedback report programs enlisted more than 700 hospitals, 18,600 clinicians and 600 other providers (including ambulatory surgical centers, inpatient psychiatric facilities and other care providers) in 2015.
To access the full report, click here.
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