IPRO has been awarded a special subcontract to support the Colorado QIO in managing
a national Medicare Care Transitions contract. Under the terms of the three-year Care
Transitions National Coordinating Center contract awarded to the Colorado Foundation
for Medical Care, that organization will support all QIOs nationwide in implementing
programs aimed at improving care transitions and reducing re-hospitalizations. The
Colorado Foundation chose IPRO as one of only three QIOs nationwide that will be
responsible for managing technical support to sister QIOs. IPRO will coordinate support
for QIOs in ME, NH, VT, MA, RI. OH, MI, WI, IL, IA and MN. Under the terms of the
three-year national Medicare QIO workplan, the state-based organizations are required
to develop care transitions initiatives in communities across each state. An additional
QIO responsibility requires the organizations to support communities that wish to apply
for special care transitions funding available through the Affordable Care Act. Recent
studies have shown that as many as 20 percent of hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries
are re-admitted to acute care institutions within 30 days of discharge.