Under a new three-year Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) contract
that began August 1, IPRO will be focusing on four major themes or “Aims” including:
(1) enhancing beneficiary and family-centered care, (2) improving individual patient
care, (3) integrating care for populations and communities and (4) improving the
overall health of populations and communities, via prevention. In the case of the first
theme, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is working toward a more
centralized approach to review of complaints and appeals, beginning with a single intake
and triage process for written quality-of-care complaints lodged by patients and their
families. In terms of improving individual patient care, IPRO will work with New York
hospitals to sharply reduce health-care associated infections; with nursing homes to
reduce pressure ulcers, physical restraints and infections; and with practitioners and
professionals to reduce adverse drug events. Care integration work will require IPRO
to recruit at least seven communities across the state to work on improving transitions
and reducing re-hospitalizations. IPRO’s work on behalf of populations and communities
will include improving rates of immunization, vaccination, cancer screening, and other
preventive services. Additionally, IPRO will support office-based physicians in quality
reporting, cardiac health and the use of electronic health records. CMS is emphasizing
close alignment among the new QIO workplan, the National Quality Strategy and the
Partnership for Patients. For a complete description of the QIO “10th Scope of Work,”
visit www.cms.gov and click on “quality of care.”