Projects - Medicare Quality Improvement
Medicare Quality Improvement Organizations: The Right Care for Every Patient Every Time
One of the largest and most successful Quality Improvement Organizations (QIO) in the nation, WVMI & Quality Insights is the federally designated Medicare QIO contractor for West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Our goal is to help health care providers deliver the right care for every patient every time. Our expertise includes data analysis and reporting, process evaluation and redesign, and provision of learning and sharing opportunities for our partnering health care providers. We also review the quality and necessity of care provided to Medicare beneficiaries.
During our most recent contract cycle, known as the QIO 8th Scope of Work, WVMI and Quality Insights provided technical assistance to more than 1,000 nursing homes, home health agencies, physician offices and hospitals in the states we serve. We helped providers in:
- Creating a culture that consistently improves the quality of care
- Using proven tools and processes to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of
- how care is delivered
- Measuring and reporting performance
- Using information technology more effectively
WVMI also assumed a leadership role in information technology projects, including the establishment of statewide e-Health coalitions, and the evaluation/implementation of electronic health records for nearly 300 physician practices. In addition, WVMI served as a field office for the Institute for Healthcare Improvements “100,000 Lives” Campaign, which is dedicated to improving patient care and preventing avoidable deaths.
Special Projects WVMI and Quality Insights’ excellence in home health technical assistance led to its selection as the program’s national QIO Support Contractor (QIOSC). Quality Insights provided guidance, tools and resources to every QIO in the country. In a satisfaction survey of QIOs commissioned by CMS in 2006, the Home Health QIOSC ranked at or near the top in all measures. In 2007, in partnership with CMS, the HHQIOSC implemented the HHQI National Campaign. More than 5,500 agencies registered to take part in this 12-month effort to reduce avoidable acute care hospitalizations.
Quality Insights of Pennsylvania was also awarded a special study to develop physician office quality measures for specialties without measures. Nine of our measures were review by AQA and included in CMS’ Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) measure set.