Medicare QIN-QIO

The Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) program, led by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), is one of the largest federal programs dedicated to improving health quality at the community level. The program is the engine driving innovative collaborations that result in high-quality, affordable and person-centered care for America’s Medicare beneficiaries. Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organizations (QIN-QIOs) assist patients and families, healthcare professionals, and communities to make care safer; support active engagement and self-management of chronic conditions; eliminate health disparities; promote best practices for healthy living; improve access to care; and make care affordable. The IPRO QIN-QIO brings together communities of healthcare providers across the care continuum, stakeholders, and patients in data-driven initiatives to achieve national health quality goals. We focus on building effective coalitions that connect community stakeholders to ensure the delivery of reliable, high-quality, coordinated, and patient-centered care. Under the 12th Statement of Work, CMS awarded the IPRO QIN-QIO a five-year contract to serve as the Medicare QIN-QIO in 11 states and the District of Columbia.  IPRO collaborated on this work with two other established and successful QIOs—Healthcentric Advisors, and Qlarant. Each organization worked directly with providers, patients and key stakeholders in specific states:
  • IPRO: New York, New Jersey, and Ohio
  • Healthcentric Advisors: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island
  • Qlarant: Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia
View our Impact Report to learn more about the outcomes achieved through this project. (Click on the four arrows for a full-screen version.)
As one of 12 regional QIN-QIOs in the nation, we brought communities together in data-driven initiatives at the local, state and regional levels to achieve national health quality goals.  Working with us provided organizations with  access to opportunities to hear about and share best practices with other healthcare providers, receive support in applying cutting-edge digital health solutions and streamlined analytics, learn about ways to engage Medicare beneficiaries and their families, and integrate proven strategies for sustaining positive change. Our experienced team of quality improvement professionals includes physicians, nurses, psychologists, pharmacists, administrators, subject matter experts, beneficiaries and quality improvement and change experts.

Our Approach

We provide healthcare organizations with technical support and assistance, at no cost, to help your staff build and sustain highly-functioning care teams that will implement evidence-based processes to ensure the consistent delivery of individualized patient/resident-centered care. We convene subject-matter experts, stakeholders, providers and care teams to explore practices that will positively impact your staff and the patients and residents in the community you serve. Our activities focus on topic areas that include: improving behavioral health outcomes, optimizing opioid prescribing, infection prevention, reducing adverse drug events, improving cross-setting transitions of care, and improving patient/resident satisfaction and quality scores. To learn more, contact us at info@ipro.org.