Have you Heard the News?

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has designated Quality Insights Renal Network (QIRN) as the new End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Network 4 contractor. ESRDs collaborate with renal facilities and patients to improve the quality of care. Network 4 serves Pennsylvania and Delaware, which is home to approximately 18,000 patients, 291 dialysis facilities and 20 transplant centers.

WVMI & Quality Insights has joined the Institute for Patient-and Family-Centered Care (www.ipfcc.org) as a Pinwheel Sponsor.

The Institute advances the understanding and practice of patient- and family-centered care. In partnership with patients, families, and health care professionals, it seeks to integrate these concepts into all aspects of health care. The Institute accomplishes its mission through education, consultation, and technical assistance; materials development and information dissemination; research; and strategic partnerships.

“We are continually looking for avenues to expand the concept of patient and family centered care,” WVMI & Quality Insights CEO John Wiesendanger said. “We’re excited about supporting and learning from the Institute’s programs and resources.

The Quality Insights of Delaware Board of Directors has appointed Phil Wescott of Wilmington as its newest member and Medicare beneficiary representative.

Mr. Wescott is a senior-level marketing and business development executive with experience in pharmaceutical, health provider, and higher education organizations. In 2008, he retired from the University of Delaware where he was a professor of Marketing and Communications. Previously, he held executive positions with major multi-national advertising and public relations agencies.

The Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health has awarded Quality Insights of Pennsylvania a new project to increase staff awareness about patient safety in Pennsylvania Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Quality Insights will conduct TeamSTEPPS (Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety) training for CAHs and administer the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture.

The survey’s purpose it to raise staff awareness about patient safety, diagnose and assess the current status of patient safety culture, identify strengths and areas for patient safety culture improvement, examine trends in patient safety culture change over time, evaluate the cultural impact of patient safety initiatives and interventions and conduct internal and external comparisons. Quality Insights will administer the survey twice (pre-and post TeamSTEPPS training) and share results with participating CAHs.

WVMI’s Director of State Services John Marks and Patient Safety Director Patricia Ruddick were acknowledged by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Policy for their contribution to the study “Barriers to Meaningful Use in Medicaid.” Marks coordinated a series of pilot interviews to assess the efficacy of the project’s assessment tool and interview process. Ruddick was one of the lead facilitators that met with providers participating in the project.

The study focused on barriers related to adopting electronic health records and achieving meaningful use among health care professionals that serve high proportions of people with Medicaid. It explored work environment-related factors, patient population characteristics and the sufficiency of the Medicaid EHR financial incentives in mitigating barriers. It concluded that barriers were not associated with the Medicaid insured population. Instead, they were similar to barriers experienced by other health professionals and also related to whether a provider was eligible for incentives. Based on this information, the study offered a set of recommendations specific to promoting MU of EHRs among health care professionals eligible for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program.

Quality Insights of Delaware Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center Director Beth Schindele has been selected to moderate a session at the World Healthcare Innovation and Technology Congress in Arlington, Virginia.

The November event will bring together health information technology stakeholders from all over the world to share the latest technologies and innovations in the adoption, implementation and sustainability of health care infrastructure.

Schindele will lead “Breaking Down the Silos – Identifying the Role of Health Information Exchanges in Health Care Transformation.” This discussion will focus on building a business case to position health information exchanges for the transformation of health care delivery; how regional, statewide, and private exchanges interact with accountable care organizations; how to engage various stakeholders and integrate disparate data sources into health information exchanges; and the infrastructure essential for implementation and data analytics capabilities that will allow sustainability.

Featured panelists are Laura Adams from the Rhode Island Quality Institute, Jennifer Covich Bordenick from the eHealth Initiative, Dick Thompson from the Quality Health Network and Jim Younkin from Geisinger Health System.

Learn more about the World Healthcare Innovation and Technology Congress. Information on the Quality Insights of Delaware Regional Extension Center is available at the DEHITREC Web site.

Chief Information Officer (CIO) Aaron Spurlock was recently elected to as Vice President/President-Elect of the West Virginia chapter of the Healthcare Information Management and Systems Society (HIMSS). WVHIMSS is a non-profit organization founded in 2006 to lead health care transformation through the effective use of health information technology in West Virginia. The statewide organization provides education and resources on various health information technology topics, including clinical systems, information systems, management engineering and telecommunications.

WVMI & Quality Insights’ Privacy Officer Nathan Gibson was recently selected by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) to be part of their prestigious Privacy and Security Committee. In this role, Nathan will work alongside well-known health information privacy and security experts from across the nation to provide oversight and strategic direction for HIMSS projects, policies and other matters. His appointment runs through 2014. Learn more about the HIMSS Privacy and Security Committee.

Quality Insights of Delaware - Regional Extension Center (QIDE REC) was recently commended by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) for reaching its Milestone 2 goal. Milestone 2, also known as “EHR Go-Live,” is a designation for REC participating providers who are using their Electronic Health Records (EHRs) to e-prescribe and generate quality reports.

An article titled, “Using Health Information Technology to Enhance Preventive Care in West Virginia” was published in the May/June 2012 edition of the peer-reviewed West Virginia Medical Journal. The article, authored by Dr. Charles Schade, Terri Bliziotes, Patty Ruddick and Dr. Sven Berg, describes Health Information Technology (HIT) Meaningful Use measures that relate to preventive health care, including organizations and resources that are available to assist physicians select, implement, or advance the use of the HIT in the clinical setting.

A case study highlighting Shenandoah Community Health Center’s work with WVMI is featured on HealthIT.gov, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s (ONC) new Web site designed to be the leading national resource on health information technology (health IT).
With assistance from WVMI’s health information technology regional extension center staff, Shenandoah, a federally qualified health center with about 30,000 patients, has been working on achieving meaningful use. It is also a Level 1 NCQA Certified Medical Home and Joint Commission Accredited.
Read the story at healthIT.gov.

Quality Insights of Delaware’s Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (REC) was recently highlighted on a national forum for its Health Information Technology (HIT) expertise. Delaware REC HIT Practice Coordinator Peter Minio and HIT Privacy and Security Specialist Nicholas Heesters were each featured on the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) National Learning Consortium (NLC) Web site. The NLC features lessons learned from the ONC and its outreach programs (RECs, Beacon Communities, and State Health Information Exchanges) and through the Health Information Technology Research Center (HITRC).

 

Through a new agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Quality Insights will help resolve disputes arising from the the survey and certification process. Long term care facilities that do not agree with a deficiency identified by the state department of health may appeal to Quality Insights. Quality Insights team will review the case, make a recommendation to the Department of Health and also recommend process improvements that may prevent future deficiencies.

Quality Insights of Pennsylvania's HIT Privacy & Security Specialist Adam Kehler was recently  featured on a Mobile Devices Roundtable hosted by the the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT). The videos and materials from the March 16 Mobile Devices Roundtable are available online by clicking here. Adam is featured in panel 3 of the discussion, which centers on how to better safeguard health information while using mobile devices. 

Three WVMI staff members shared their technology expertise at the March spring symposium sponsored by the West Virginia Medical Group Management Association. The trio delivered the presentation, “Meaningful Use and Security” at the Marriott Hotel in Charleston.

Janet  R. Lynch and Nancy C. Armistead  of the Mid-Atlantic Renal Coalition co-authored an article to be published in an upcoming edition of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.

MARC Deputy Director Lynch and Executive Director Armistead co-authored the article, “Prevalence of Arteriovenous Fistulas in Incident Hemodialysis Patients: Correlation With Patient Factors That May Be Associated with Maturation Failure.”

Nathan Gibson has been appointed as WVMI & Quality Insights’ new Privacy Officer. He is responsible for privacy awareness and training and for implementing and maintaining information privacy policies and procedures.

WVMI & Quality Insights Information Security Officer Scott Brannon in January became a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). The designation requires successful completion of a comprehensive exam and a minimum of five years of full-time experience in information security.

Charleston, WV -- A WVMI employee and her family were on hand when the evergreen that outgrew its welcome at their house took center stage at the Dec. 1 annual tree-lighting ceremony at the state Capitol in Charleston.

Sven Berg, MD, MPH, CPE has agreed to join the WVMI & Quality Insights family of companies as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Berg, who will be based in Charleston WV, comes to WVMI & Quality Insights from the United States Air Force, where he has spent his career, first in clinical practice, then in medical administration with 14 years of increasingly responsible positions.

WVMI Chief Executive Officer John Wiesendanger acknowledged Dr. Reginald McClung for achieving Meaningful Use of his electronic health record during the Nov. 8 meeting of the Kanawha County Medical Society.

Quality Insights of Pennsylvania in September was selected by Automated Health Systems to develop a software tool that will assist project staff in collecting various indicators that will be used to assess the quality of health care being provided to patients in the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals KIDMED program. The Quality Insights analytical staff will also design a set of quality reports to be used by AHS in presenting their findings.

Quality Insights of Pennsylvania in August received an expansion of its current contract to help Medicare assess the quality of care provided by the nation’s physicians.

In August 2011, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services gave the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Program (WVMI & Quality Insights are QIOs in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Delaware) an updated charter for leading change.

Here are some of the biggest differences between today’s Program and that of the past:

WVMI & Quality Insights’ HHQI National Campaign published an article in the peer-reviewed Home Healthcare Nurse journal in May.

WVMI has received a Business on Board with Childcare designation from West Virginia KIDS COUNT fund. The award recognizes WVMI’s adherence to key national and local criteria for a childcare-friendly workplace. This includes factors such as establishing child-friendly leave policies and a flexible benefits program.

Quality Insights of Delaware Medical Director Edward R. Sobel, DO, was featured in a February 2011 issue of Medical Economics. Dr. Sobel, who is also a family physician and co-owner of Wilmington-based Family Practice Associates, discussed his practice’s successful implementation and use of an electronic health record (EHR).

 

Mid-Atlantic Renal Coalition Deputy Director Janet R. Lynch and Executive Director Nancy C. Armistead published an article in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases in January.

Quality Insights Holdings (WVMI’s parent company) and the Mid-Atlantic Renal Coalition (MARC) have announced plans to merge in a move that will strengthen and expand both organizations’ focus on improving the quality of health care. The boards of directors of both companies unanimously approved the merger.